Many critics decried former President Donald Trump’s disparaging statements on Colin Powell a day after the first Black Secretary of State died from COVID-19 complications at age 84, Daily Mail reports.
Trump in a statement through his Save America PAC criticized Powell’s record on the Iraq War and slammed the news media for treating the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and war veteran “so beautifully” after his death.
"Wonderful to see Colin Powell, who made big mistakes on Iraq and famously, so-called weapons of mass destruction, be treated in death so beautifully by the Fake News Media. Hope that happens to me someday," Trump said.
"He made plenty of mistakes, but anyway, may he rest in peace!" Trump added.
The former president also called Powell a “classic RINO,” an acronym for “Republican in name only.”
David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, called Trump “jealous” of the news coverage.
“Such a classy guy, that Donald,” he tweeted.
Olivia Troye, a former aide to Trump’s Vice President, Mike Pence, said Trump’s statement proves he doesn’t care about the military.
“Colin Powell was a mentor to many of us in the natsec community. He was a man of honor & integrity,” she tweeted. “Trump's disgusting & vile statement about Powell is another blatant reminder that he doesn't care nor have the capacity to understand and respect those who serve our great country.”
Jon Soltz, head of progressive veterans' group Vote Vets, said the statement is just the “normal way” Trump treats people who make him “insecure.”
“This is the reason Donald Trump’s numbers with Veterans cratered in 2020,” he said in a Twitter post. “He lost so much ground with Veterans it cost him the election. His trashing of Colin Powell is the normal way he treats anyone that makes him insecure which includes most of the military.”
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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