One of Donald Trump’s sons is facing backlash for a Memorial Day post that some say disrespects the many Americans who have died while serving their country.
On May 24, Eric Trump reshared a photo of members of the Trump family, including his father, on X with the caption, “The family that gave up everything to Save America.” Another user had posted the photo earlier that day, to which he replied, “And we will do it again.”
The post drew criticism from several users because of the impending Memorial Day holiday. The federal holiday is dedicated to honoring and remembering members of the U.S. Armed Services who have died in the line of duty.
Retired Air National Guard Lt. Col. Adam Kinzinger ripped Eric Trump apart for the post the next morning, a day before the holiday.
“I wasn’t going to tweet anything political this weekend, but I have to make an exception for this,” wrote the former Illinois Republican congressman. “Your family has sacrificed nothing, your name will become synonymous with ‘Benedict Arnold’ and how dare you tweet this, THIS weekend.”
“You don’t know the first thing about service you, child,” Kinzinger added.
Aquilino Gonell, who fought in Iraq before becoming a Capitol Police sergeant, also took to the social media platform to blast Eric Trump. He left the Capitol force after he was attacked by Jan. 6 rioters who were allegedly encouraged by the GOP lame-duck president Trump to protest on the Hill.
“The grift from this family never ends. Stolen valor. Claiming to have served the country without being in the military,” Gonell wrote. “How many years in service or # of deployment(s) you all have? FYI, Taking part in the events leading up to J6 doesn’t count as military service.”
The elder Trump has also been known to disrespect military personnel who died on the battlefield. Former Trump chief of staff John Kelly confirmed to CNN in October that previous reports about the former Republican president making derogatory comments about service people were true.
Trump reportedly refused to visit a cemetery in Paris for American soldiers who were killed in World War I, saying: “It’s filled with losers,” and later called the nearly 2,000 Marines who died “suckers,” The Atlantic reported in 2020.
During another trip to France in 2017, Trump reportedly told Kelly he didn’t want wounded veterans in a military parade that was being planned in his honor, according to CNN.
Eric Trump’s X post does not indicate whether he was aware of his father’s opinion of fallen soldiers or the timing of the message.
“The families that gave up everything for this country have family members buried at Arlington. How tone deaf can you be?” wrote another user. “It’s Memorial Day weekend, FFS!! We are remembering those who actually did give it all. Even for a Trump, this is shockingly awful.”
