Biden blasts 'deplorable' Trump comments reportedly mocking military veterans: 'He's not fit to be the commander in chief'

Former vice president says one truly sacred obligation of government is to support the troops, but president has no loyalty other than to himself

At a campaign event on Friday, Joe Biden gave his reaction to The Atlantic article that claims president Donald Trump referred to dead American service members as “losers” and “suckers”.

“If what is written in The Atlantic is true, it is disgusting. It affirms what most of us believe to be true, that Donald Trump is not fit to be the commander-in-chief,” the former vice president and Democratic candidate said.

Referring to the service of his late son Beau, Biden said: “When my son was a US attorney and he volunteered to go to Kosovo while the war was going on, as a civilian, he was not a sucker. When my son volunteered and joined the United States military as the attorney general and went to Iraq for a year and won the bronze star and other commendations, he wasn’t a sucker.”

He added: “The servicemen and women he served with, particularly those who did not come home, were not losers. The president should apologise to every gold star mother and father and every blue star family that he has denigrated and insulted. Who the heck does he think he is?”

Regarding the veracity of the reports, Biden points to Trump’s own characterisation of the late Senator John McCain as a loser in 2015. Then candidate Trump said that McCain was not a war hero because he was captured.

The former vice president also noted the president’s dismissal of traumatic brain injuries suffered by troops in Iraq as mere headaches at the start of the year. He also brought up Trump failing to challenge Russian president Vladimir Putin regarding bounties being put on the heads of American troops in Afghanistan.

“We have many obligations in the government. We have only one truly sacred obligation. to support those we send into harm's way, care for their families while they are gone, and care for them when they are home,” said Biden.

“Duty, honour, country. These are values that drive our service members. It is an all voluntary outfit. President Trump has demonstrated he has no sense of service, no loyalty to any cause other than himself.”

Asked for further comment, Biden said he would try to be measured in his response, rhetorically asking how it would feel to have a family member in active service at the moment, having read the claims.

He described military personnel as the “backbone of America” and said that what the president is reported as saying is “deplorable”, later adding: “It is absolutely damnable. It is a disgrace.”

The president has denied the reports.

A Military Times poll released on Monday, ahead of The Atlantic article, has Biden ahead of Trump by 4 percentage points with active-duty troops, 41-37 per cent. A similar poll in October 2016 had Trump leading Hillary Clinton by almost 20 points.

The poll also asked about Trump's favorability rating with the troops. Roughly 47 per cent have an unfavourable view of the president and 38 per cent a favourable one. At officer level the number with an unfavourable opinion of the president rises to 60 per cent.