President Donald Trump—who reportedly referred to injured and killed U.S. soldiers as “losers”—is also apparently confused as to why the government values finding soldiers missing in action. He told senior advisers those soldiers had performed poorly, gotten caught and therefore deserved what they got, according to The Washington Post. The account followed an explosive report by The Atlantic on Thursday that outlined Trump’s deep disdain for the military members, both dead and alive. The president, who famously dodged the Vietnam War draft due to bone spurs, called military members and marines “losers” and “suckers”—either because they died, were captured, or didn’t manage to evade the draft. The White House and Trump strongly dismissed the report, with Trump calling the anonymous sources used for the article “lowlifes.” But Trump has put his disdain on the record, criticizing prisoner of war John McCain in 2016 by saying, “I like people who weren't caught.”
