Former President Donald Trump is facing sharp criticism for social media posts that appeared to downplay the number of U.S. service members killed in the conflict with Iran. The backlash intensified after the American troop death toll in the conflict reached 18.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to share a list comparing the current U.S. troop fatalities to those in wars initiated by his predecessors. He later posted a graph with the assertion, "These are the real facts. REPORT THEM!"
Former Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has previously criticized Trump for initiating the war, accused the president of "bragging about killing 18 US soldiers." She wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "The ‘peace president’ went to war and is killing and wounding our troops." Greene concluded her post with internet slang expressing strong disapproval.
The press team for California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, also condemned Trump's remarks, calling him a "disgusting Little Man" and urging him to "treat our brave American soldiers with some respect."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, stated that "bragging" about "only" 18 service members being killed in what he described as a "reckless and illegal war" started by the president was "beneath contempt and a new low even for the likes of Donald Trump."