• Trump knew since March 2020 that Russia paid bounties to kill American troops, yet he has done nothing [[Reuters]](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-russia-idUSKBN23X2RT)

• May 2020, the White House attempted to end National Guard deployments one day before they could claim benefits [[Politico]](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/19/national-guard-coronavirus-267514)

• The Trump admin seized 5 million masks intended for VA hospitals. [[Huffpost]](https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5ea4c72dc5b6805f9ece2bc3) Kushner distributes these masks to private entities for a fee, who then sells the masks to the government * *this is unproven, but here's a likely example* * [[Politico]](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/27/republican-fundraiser-company-coronavirus-152184)

• Trump fired the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt after he warned superiors that COVID19 was spreading among his crew. The virus subsequently spread amongst the crew [[USNI Timeline]](https://news.usni.org/2020/06/23/timeline-theodore-roosevelt-covid-19-outbreak-investigation)

• After Iran's retaliatory strike, 109 US troops suffered brain injuries. Trump dismissed these as "headaches" [[Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-pentagon-tbi-exclusive/more-than-100-u-s-troops-diagnosed-with-brain-injuries-from-iran-attack-idUSKBN2041ZK)

• 20/7/2017, in room 2E924 of the Pentagon, Trump told a room full of Generals, "You’re a bunch of dopes and babies" [[Military Times]](https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/01/17/trump-blasted-top-military-generals-as-a-bunch-of-dopes-and-babies-according-to-new-book/)

• Pardoned multiple war criminals, which stomped on long standing military values, discipline, and command. Trump has no military experience (May&Nov, 2019) * *He didn't just pardon Eddie Gallagher, he also intervened in an internal community review that would have stripped Gallagher of his warfare device, demanded on Twitter that he not lose rank, and fired then SECNAV Richard Spencer for refusing to follow orders given over social media* * [[AP Gallagher Timeline]](https://apnews.com/097da598195d42b08a9271e3c82b05b5) [[Spencer WashPo OpEd]](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/richard-spencer-i-was-fired-as-navy-secretary-heres-what-ive-learned-because-of-it/2019/11/27/9c2e58bc-1092-11ea-bf62-eadd5d11f559_story.html)

• Trump mocked Lt. Col. Vindman for his rank and uniform. He threatened said purple heart officer, resulting in the Army providing him protection * *In my personal opinion, the removal of Vindman and his twin brother who worked in a completely different department is the more egregious offense, but there's nothing illegal about it* * [[Reuters]](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment-vindman/an-officer-and-an-impeachment-witness-he-draws-ire-of-trump-allies-idUSKBN1XT2WP)

• Trump’s Chief of Staff worked—in secret—to deny comprehensive health coverage to Vietnam Vets who suffered from Agent Orange * *I don't actually know anything about this one. The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act was signed into law in 2019 and actually* **expanded** *coverage* * [[HR 299]](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/299/text)

• There is a facility in Tijuana for US veterans that Trump deported. Wounded war vet, Sen Duckworth (D) marked Veterans Day 2019 by visiting this facility * *This is misleading. The facility is not specifically for deported veterans, but there are veterans there* * [[The Hill]](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/470020-duckworth-spent-veterans-day-in-mexico-with-deported-veterans)

• Russia took control of the main U.S. military facility in Syria abandoned on Trump’s orders. Russia now owns the airstrip we built [[Reuters]](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-russia-idUSKBN1XP0XN)

• 10/7/2019, Trump abruptly withdrew support from America's allies in Syria after a phone call with Turkey's president (Erdogan). Turkey subsequently bombed US Special Forces * *This ignores the much more sensitive issue for many servicemembers. By removing our support in this manner, we abandoned the Kurdish troops that relied on our support and training. A number of servicemembers who have been deployed to the region are furious over that decision* * [[Reuters]](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-usa/trump-tells-pentagon-to-begin-withdrawing-remaining-troops-from-northern-syria-idUSKBN1WS0GH)

• Trump sent thousands of American troops to defend the oil assets of the country that perpetrated 9/11 * *While not untrue, we don't know the actual number of deployed troops, and technically this decision was made by the Pentagon and approved by Trump. Though I'd be shocked to discover that it was his idea* * [[Reuters]](https://www.reuters.com/article/saudi-aramco-usa-pentagon/pentagon-to-send-troops-to-bolster-saudi-defenses-after-attack-idUSL2N26B1V0)

• Sept 2019, he made an Air Force cargo crew, flying from the U.S. to Kuwait stop in Scotland (where there's no U.S. base) to refuel at a commercial airport (where it costs more), so they could stay overnight at a Trump property (which isn't close to the airport). Trump’s golf courses are losing money, so he's forcing the military to pay for 5-star nights there * *Incredibly misleading. The Air Force investigated this trip and determined the air crew made the right decision. It's not likely Trump would have had anything to do with this* * [[Air Force Times]](https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/09/07/c-17-crew-stops-at-trumps-scottish-golf-resort-en-route-to-kuwait/) * *Though, the number of stops at Glasgow Prestwick have increased dramatically during the Trump adminstration, the House Oversight and Reform Committee hasn't concluded it's investigation, and requested more documents as late as October 2019. Meanwhile, the Defense Logistics Agency has renewed it's contract with Glasgow Prestwick.* * [[NPR on Glasgow Prestwick]](https://www.npr.org/2019/09/09/759025827/allowable-but-not-advisable-air-force-and-congress-review-stays-at-trump-resort) [[Huffpost on DLA contract]](https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5d7431b8e4b07521022d71ee)

• Sept 2019, Pentagon pulled funds for military schools, military housing funds, and daycare to pay for Trump's border wall * *This has happened more than once* * [[NPR $3.6B, 2019]](https://www.npr.org/2019/09/04/757463817/these-are-the-11-border-projects-getting-funds-intended-for-military-constructio) [[NPR, $3.8B, 2020]](https://www.npr.org/2020/02/13/805796618/trump-administration-diverts-3-8-billion-in-pentagon-funding-to-border-wall)

• Aug 2019, emails revealed that three of Trump's Mar-a-Lago pals, who are now running Veterans Affairs, are rampant with meddling. "They had no experience in veterans affairs (none of them even served in the military) nor underwent any kind of approval process to serve as de facto managers. Yet, with Trump’s approval, they directed actions and criticized operations without any oversight. They wasted valuable staff time in hundreds of pages of communications and meetings, emails show. Emails reveal disdainful attitudes within the department to the trio’s meddling." [[Huffpost]](https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5d699d5ce4b01108044f28c5)

• Veterans graves will be "dug up" for the border wall, after Trump instructed aides to seize private property. Trump told officials he would pardon them if they break the law by illegally seizing property [[Video from local NBC affiliate]](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8gHGBUj1i2M)

• Children of deployed US troops are no longer guaranteed citizenship. This includes US troops posted abroad for years at a time (August 28, 2019) * *Misleading. I'm going to have to dig back into my own comment history to provide the reasoning, but the short version is that the policy change only affected US government employees and servicemembers who don't already have US citizenship, and even then it only removed the automatic granting of citizenship. It changes the eligibility to a different section of the same law, which requires parents to apply for naturalization before the child turns 18* * [[Task and Purpose]](https://taskandpurpose.com/news/military-children-born-abroad-citizenship)

• 2/8/2019, Trump requisitioned military retirement funds towards border wall * *Misleading. The diverted money is surplus due to a change in the military retirement program from High-3 to the Blended Retirement System, which is essentially an IRA vice a pure pension system* * [[Military Times]](https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/08/02/unspent-military-retirement-funds-will-be-tapped-to-help-build-border-wall/)

• 31/7/2019, Trump ordered the Navy rescind medals to prosecutors who ~~were~~ prosecuted war criminals * *I totally forgot to mention this earlier with Gallagher. Specifically, the awards were granted to the prosecution team who essentially lost the case as a result of a sailor changing his testimony on the stand. While I don't think they should have been awarded, I also don't think the President should have the authority to order awards to be rescinded, and certainly not over Twitter* * [[Reuters]](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-navyseal-warcrimes-trump-idUSKCN1UQ2SC)

• Trump denied a U.S. Marine of 6 years entry into the United States for his citizenship interview (Reported 17/7/2019) * *Misleading. This is not a result of any Trump Administration policy or action* * [[The Hill]](https://thehill.com/homenews/news/453225-marine-corps-veteran-denied-entry-to-us-for-citizenship-interview)

Trump made the U.S. Navy Blue Angels violate ethics rules by having them fly at his July 4th political campaign event (4/7/2019) [[The Independent]](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/salute-to-america-trump-4th-july-military-parade-tanks-aircraft-salute-to-america-washington-army-a8983776.html)

• Trump demanded US military chiefs stand next to him at 4th of July parade (reported 2/7/2019) [[The Independent]](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/salute-to-america-trump-4th-july-military-parade-tanks-aircraft-salute-to-america-washington-army-a8983776.html)

• June 2019, Trump sent troops to the border to paint the fence for a better "aesthetic appearance" [[Military Times]](https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/06/06/some-troops-to-spend-the-next-month-painting-border-fence-with-mexico/)

• Trump used his D-Day interview at a cemetery commemorating fallen US soldiers to attack a Vietnam veteran (6/6/2019) * *The veteran is Robert Mueller, for context.* * [[Quartz]](https://qz.com/1637160/trump-slams-veteran-mueller-in-d-day-interview-at-normandy-cemetery/)

• Trump started his D-Day commemoration speech by attacking a private citizen (Bette Midler, of all people) (reported 4/6/2019) [[AP]](https://apnews.com/e9d7ee3a39ec465bbb21cec8416d824b)

• Trump made his 2nd wife, Marla Maples, sign a prenup that would have cut off all child support if Tiffany joined the military (reported 4/6/2019) * *Also if she got a full-time job or joined the Peace Corps* * [[Vanity Fair]](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/06/marla-maple-prenup-donald-trump-marriage)

• 27/5/2019, Trump turned away US military from his Memorial Day speech because they were from the destroyer USS John S. McCain [[Business Insider]](https://www.businessinsider.com/uss-john-mccain-sailors-were-turned-away-from-trump-speech-2019-5?op=1)

• Trump ordered the USS John McCain out of sight during his visit to Japan (15/5/2019). The ship's name was subsequently covered. (27/5/2019) [[Navy Times]](https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/05/30/white-house-tells-navy-to-keep-destroyer-mccain-out-of-sight-during-trump-visit-to-japan-report-says/)

• Trump purged 200,000 vets' healthcare applications (due to known administrative errors within VA’s enrollment system) (reported on 13/5/2019) [[Military.com Blog]](https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/07/16/report-va-abandoned-more-200000-incomplete-vets-health-care-applications.html)

• Trump deported a spouse of fallen Army soldier killed in Afghanistan, leaving their daughter parentless (16/4/2019) * *This one, I'll agree with, specifically because she reached out to her congressman, so there's little reason to believe this didn't find it's way on to the White House's radar before the story was published. Also, this is a follow-up article that discusses three other cases exactly like the first one.* * [[Military Times]](https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/03/04/more-military-families-come-forward-with-deportation-fears/) * **Fuck me. This isn't even the right one. That's how often this happens. Here's the one this referenced.** * [[WashPo]](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/04/16/ice-deported-widow-soldier-killed-afghanistan-attorney-says/)

• 20/3/2019, Trump complained that a deceased war hero didn't thank him for his funeral * *The deceased war veteran was John McCain, for context.* * [[The Independent]](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-john-mccain-funeral-speech-ohio-twitter-a8832976.html)

• Between 12/22/2018, and 1/25/2019, Trump refused to sign his party's funding bill, which shut down the government, forcing the Coast Guard to go without pay, which made service members rely on food pantries. However, his appointees got a $10,000 pay raise * *And a bill was drafted to fund the Department of Homeland Security during this period, but Schumer wouldn't budge.* * [[Task and Purpose]](https://taskandpurpose.com/news/coast-guard-pay-shutdown) [[The Hill]](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/426824-schumer-blocks-bill-to-pay-coast-guard)

• He banned service members from serving based on gender identity (1/22/2019) [[Reuters]](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-transgender-idUSKCN1TF1ZM)

• He denied female troops access to birth control to limit sexual activity (on-going. Published 18/1/2019) [[Business Insider]](https://www.businessinsider.com/study-military-deployment-birth-control-2018-12?fbclid=IwAR1jPTDGgriDUuEHv1RbDOjtihZaG5DZCsfim2kho5ChUyRwUXIlcQzrnF0)

• He tried to deport a marine vet who is a U.S.-born citizen (16/1/2019) [[WashPo]](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/01/17/latino-marine-veteran-was-detained-deportation-then-ice-realized-he-was-citizen/)

• When a man was caught swindling veterans pensions for high-interest “cash advances," Trump's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fined him $1 (Jan 26, 2019) [[The Intercept]](https://theintercept.com/2019/01/26/cfpb-mulvaney-discount/)

• He called a retired general a 'dog' with a 'big, dumb mouth' (Jan 1, 2019) * [[The Hill]](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/423400-trump-slams-mcchrystal-amid-criticism-from-retired-general)

• He increased privatization of the VA, leading to longer waits and higher taxpayer cost (2018) [[NPR]](https://www.npr.org/2019/02/27/697879155/va-expands-vets-access-to-private-care-but-gives-no-plan-to-pay-for-it)

• He finally visited troops 2 years after taking office, but only after 154 vacation days at his properties (Dec 26, 2018) [[Military Times from October, 2018]](https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2018/10/17/top-senate-democrat-urges-trump-to-visit-troops-fighting-overseas/) [[CBS News]](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-makes-surprise-visit-to-iraq-to-meet-with-troops-2018-12-26/)

• He revealed a covert Seal Team 5 deployment, including names and faces, on Twitter during his visit to Iraq (Dec 26, 2018) [[Huffpost]](https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5c258858e4b0407e9081117b)

• Trump lied to deployed troops that he gave them a 10% raise (12/26/2018). He tried giving the military a raise that was lower than the standard living adjustment. Congress told him that idea wasn't going to work. Then after giving them the raise that Congress made him, he lied about it pretending that it was larger than Obama's. It wasn't [[Military Times]](https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2018/12/27/in-iraq-visit-trump-makes-false-claim-about-military-pay-again/) * *Also, for what it's worth, servicemembers amenities entitlements for housing and food haven't kept up with inflation during the Trump presidency, with a couple years of 0% increases. But it is important to remember this is actually the fault of Congress, Trump just hasn't done anything about it, despite his claims.* * [[BAH since 2015]](https://militarybenefits.info/2020-bah-basic-allowance-for-housing-rates/) [[BAS since 2013]](https://militarybenefits.info/2020-bas-basic-allowance-for-subsistence-rates/)

• He fired service members living with HIV just before the 2018 holidays * *This isn't entirely accurate. The administration announced a 'Deploy or Get Out' policy at the end of 2018 that would separate servicemembers unable to deploy for greater than 12 months. It didn't take effect until February, and there are a number of exceptions to the policy. This hasn't been an unpopular move amongst servicemembers in my experience.* * [[Military Times]](https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/02/14/dod-releases-new-deploy-or-get-out-policy/)

• He tried to slash disability and unemployment benefits for Veterans to $0, and eliminate the unemployability extrascheduler rating (Dec 17, 2018) * *This proposal was removed from the budget, which is likely why it didn't garner any traction in the media.* * [[Snopes]](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-disabled-veterans-cuts/)

• He called troops on Thanksgiving and told them he's most thankful for himself (Thanksgiving, 2018) * *Misleading. He said he was thankful "For having a great family and for having made a tremendous difference in this country." The above statement was the headline Newsweek used.* * [[Newsweek]](https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-thanksgiving-statement-thankful-himself-1228390)

• He urged Florida to not count deployed military votes *Misleading. He urged them not to count any absentee votes, not just military ones.* *(Nov 12, 2018) [[Huffpost]](https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5be9f43ae4b044bbb1a783bf)

• He canceled an Arlington Cemetery visit on Veterans Day due to light rain (Nov 12, 2018) [[Huffpost]](https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5be9f43ae4b044bbb1a783bf)

• While in Europe commemorating the end of WWI, he didn't attend the ceremony at a US cemetery due to the rain -- other world leaders went anyway (Nov 10, 2018) [[The Hill]](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/416058-churchills-grandson-rips-trump-for-skipping-cemetery-visit-because-of)

• He used troops as a political prop by sending them on a phantom mission to the border and made them miss Thanksgiving with their families (Oct-Dec, 2018) * *For what it's worth, there are still troops deployed to the southern border* * [[Task and Purpose]](https://taskandpurpose.com/news/trump-troops-border-thanksgiving)

Trump changed the GI Bill through his Forever GI Act, causing the VA to miss veteran benefits, including housing allowances. This caused many vets to run out of food and rent. (reported October 7, 2018) * *The forever GI Bill is a very, very good thing. The administrative shortfalls of implementing it can't be blamed on Trump, or even the adminstration. That was 100% the DODs fault.* * [[Stars and Stripes]](https://www.stripes.com/news/us/trump-signs-forever-gi-bill-boosting-aid-to-student-vets-1.483250)

• Trump doubled the rejection rate for veterans requesting family deportation protections (July 5, 2018) [[Newsweek]](https://www.newsweek.com/trump-doubled-rejection-rate-veterans-requesting-family-deportation-1010571)

• Trump deported active-duty spouses (11,800 military families face this problem as of April 2018) *We covered this in the second part.* * [[Military Times]](https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/04/01/as-many-as-11800-military-families-face-deportation-issues-group-says/)

• He forgot a fallen soldier's name (below) during a call to his pregnant widow, then attacked her the next day (Oct 23-24, 2017) [[The Independent]](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-us-soldier-widow-forgets-husbands-name-call-sergeant-la-david-t-johnson-a8015251.html)

• He sent commandos into an ambush due to a lack of intel, and sends contractors to pick them up, resulting in a commando being left behind, tortured, and executed. (Trump approved the mission because Bannon told him Obama didn't have the guts to do it) (Oct 4, 2017) *The Tongo Tongo ambush, for context* * [[DoD Investigation]](https://dod.defense.gov/portals/1/features/2018/0418_niger/img/Oct-2017-Niger-Ambush-Summary-of-Investigation.pdf)

• He blocked a veteran group on Twitter (June 2017) [[The Hill]](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/337560-trump-blocks-veterans-group-on-twitter)

• He ordered the discharge of active-duty immigrant troops with good records (2017-present) * *Important context here is that these folks enlisted specifically to obtain citizenship.* * [[The Independent]](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-army-discharge-immigrant-recruits-citizenship-trump-administration-a8434166.html)

• He deported veterans (2017-present) *We've covered this a few times now* *

• He said he knows more about ISIS than American generals (Oct 2016) [[CBS News]](https://www.cbsnews.com/video/trump-u-s-generals-dont-know-much-about-isis/)

• Oct 3, 2016, Trump said vets get PTSD because they aren't strong (note: yes, he said it's 'because they aren't strong.' He didn't say it's 'because they're weak.' This distinction is important because of Snopes) [[Snopes]](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/donald-trump-didnt-say-vets-with-ptsd-are-weak/)

• Trump accepted a Purple Heart from a fan at one of his rallies and said: “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier.” (Aug 2, 2016) [[Politico]](https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/trump-purple-heart-226565)

• [/u/victorvictor1](https://www.reddit.com/u/victorvictor1) [got called out for being lazy](https://www.reddit.com/r/bestof/comments/hh17jw/long_list_of_how_trump_has_hurt_us_troops_while/fw7dxai/) (27/6/2020)

• Trump attacks Gold Star families: Myeshia Johnson (gold star widow), Khan family (gold star parents) etc. (2016-present) [[The Independent, Myeshia Johnson]](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-us-soldier-widow-forgets-husbands-name-call-sergeant-la-david-t-johnson-a8015251.html) [[NPR, Kahn Family]](https://www.npr.org/2016/08/01/488213964/gop-criticism-mounts-as-trump-continues-attacks-on-khan-family)

• Trump sent funds raised from a Jan 2016 veterans benefit to the Donald J Trump Foundation instead of veterans charities (the foundation has since been ordered shut because of fraud) (Jan, 2016) [[NPR]](https://www.npr.org/2019/11/07/777287610/judge-says-trump-must-pay-2-million-over-misuse-of-foundation-funds)

• Trump said he has "more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military" because he went to a military-style academy (2015 biography) [[Politico]](https://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/donald-trump-military-service-213392)

• Trump said he doesn't consider POWs heroes because they were caught. He said he prefers people who were not caught (July 18, 2015) [[Politico]](https://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/trump-attacks-mccain-i-like-people-who-werent-captured-120317)

• Trump said having unprotected sex was his own personal Vietnam (1998) [[Video of Stern interview]](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nQcTOxaW62s)

• For a decade, Trump sought to kick veterans off of Fifth Avenue because he found them unsightly nuisances outside of Trump Tower. 1991 [[Daily Beast]](https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-wanted-vets-kicked-off-fifth-avenue)

• Trump dodged the draft 5 times by having a doctor diagnose him with bone spurs [[Snopes]](https://www.snopes.com/news/2016/08/02/donald-trumps-draft-deferments/)

• No Trump in America has ever served in the military; this spans 5 generations, and every branch of the family tree. In fact, the reason his grandfather immigrated to America was to avoid military service [[The Guardian]](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/21/trump-grandfather-friedrich-banished-germany-historian-royal-decree)