Did Donald Trump really insult the family of fallen Sergeant La David Johnson? Did he really say "he knew what he signed up for" in an insulting and dismissive way? Did he really offend the family with his callous attitude and behavior when he called to ostensibly offer condolences?
The interviews of recent days with Johnson's widow are being presented by the media as evidence that Wilson told the truth. They are not. What we know is that Mrs. Johnson feels offended by the tone of the president's words - at least as they came across to her. She interpreted his reference to Johnson knowing what he signed up for as an insult, but we know Trump has said the same thing in other calls and he meant it as an expression of the servicemen's bravery - and the other families correctly took it that way.
If it's really true that the president had trouble remembering Johnson's name, that is not to his credit, but neither should it have been a reason for Congresswoman Frederica Wilson or Mrs. Johnson to accuse him of insulting them. There is no reason whatsoever to believe he was trying to do so.
Yet Wilson has claimed for more than a week that Trump did that very thing. The evidence is that he absolutely did not. We'll start with another call for which we have actual audio. It shows you the president's approach on these calls, and it's nothing like what Wilson claims.
But if that's not enough for you, consider the claim of one of Wilson's colleagues, which is actually designed to back up Wilson's claim. If this is the best proof they have that Trump is guilty as charged, then case dismissed:
Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat and the Virgin Islands’ delegate to Congress, said she was especially offended that Mr. Trump did not seem to know Sergeant [La David] Johnson’s name [during the condolence call to his family].
“He continually called that fallen soldier ‘your guy’ to his wife. That was his wife,” she said. “It was almost as if he doesn’t believe that we have husbands and wives as black people. And that I find very disturbing, that he would not give her the respect of calling that soldier her husband.”
First of all, what happened to the claim that Trump rudely dismissed Johnson's death by saying "he knew what he signed up for"? That was the media siren in the first day or two after Wilson made her claim. If Trump really did that, it would easily be the most offensive thing that happened, not referring to Johnson as "your guy" Plaskett is complaining about here.
If Trump didn't actually commit the offense we first heard about, then why did Wilson claim he did, and what are we even talking about?
Clearly, if Trump used those words at all, it was in a respectful manner by way of pointing to Johnson's bravery, and Wilson decided to try to twist those words for partisan purposes. When the claim quickly unraveled, she and her allies looked for new tacts to take.
As for the complaint about Trump using the term "your guy," it's a pretty creative extrapolation to think this means Trump didn't think the Johnsons were married, or worse, that "we don't have husbands and wives as black people." People refer to husbands and wives this way all the time. It's an informal colloquialism that is simply designed to make the person feel more comfortable because they don't have to be so prim and proper in the conversation. That's an especially useful thing for a president to do because people are sometimes unsure how they should address a person of such status.
Only a person seeking offense could find such a thing offensive. Only a person determined to point the finger of racism at someone else could seize on this and think they actually had something.
And if this isn't enough to convince you that Frederica Wilson is lying, all you have to do is look at her behavior in recent days. She's declared herself a "rock star" because of the White House criticism of her, and seems to think this whole thing is a big joke.
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This is the woman who claimed to find President Trump's attitude toward a fallen solder's family inappropriate? Is this really the behavior of a serious person who's concerned about respect during a solemn and serious time when a family is mourning?
There is still the matter of the Johnson family essentially backing up Wilson's claim. Isn't that hard to dismiss? It would be if there wasn't so much other evidence that this whole thing is nonsense. My theory is that it was Wilson who acted aghast at Trump's words, and who persuaded the Johnsons that what he said was inappropriate. Some people are easily led, especially when they're in a particularly vulnerable state. We owe the Johnsons our respect for their sacrifice, but if they really felt offended after the president's call, there's no doubt in my mind it's Frederica Wilson who made them feel that way.
Just as there's no doubt in my mind she's been lying about this whole thing.
Did Donald Trump really insult the family of fallen Sergeant La David Johnson? Did he really say "he knew what he signed up for" in an insulting and dismissive way? Did he really offend the family with his callous attitude and behavior when he called to ostensibly offer condolences?
The interviews of recent days with Johnson's widow are being presented by the media as evidence that Wilson told the truth. They are not. What we know is that Mrs. Johnson feels offended by the tone of the president's words - at least as they came across to her. She interpreted his reference to Johnson knowing what he signed up for as an insult, but we know Trump has said the same thing in other calls and he meant it as an expression of the servicemen's bravery - and the other families correctly took it that way.
