Theo Wold, who served as deputy assistant to former President Donald Trump, told Newsmax Wednesday he remembers how kind and helpful Trump was to the Guillen family when they met at the White House.
An article in The Atlantic claimed Trump was angered by a $60,000 bill he got from the family of the Texas soldier, Vanessa Guillen, who was killed by a fellow soldier at Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas, in 2020.
At the time, Trump offered to help Guillen's family with her burial costs. Trump ranted about the bill for Guillen's funeral during an Oval Office meeting months later while also disparaging her as a Mexican.
The Trump campaign has pushed back on the story calling it a "false smear." Wold, who was an interpreter for the Guillens when they met with Trump, said the memory has stayed with him for years.
"We met with Mrs. Guillen, her husband, Mayra Guillen, and Lupe Guillen for about 25 minutes," Wold said on "Rob Schmitt Tonight." "The president heard the details of the investigation, the lack of transparency and information that the family had been provided by the Department of Defense and the Department of the Army, and then asked what he could do to be helpful."
Wold said the meeting was "President Trump at his finest."
"I don't think it's hyperbole or an exaggeration to say it was very Lincolnian," Wold said. "This was President Trump expressing sympathy for the Guillen family, but also sympathy for Vanessa Guillen, one of his fallen soldiers as commander in chief."
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Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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