Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Mother of dead soldier confirms Trump 'disrespected' widow in phone call

Others say Mr Trump forgot the name of the fallen soldier during the call

Emily Shugerman
New York
Wednesday 18 October 2017 19:26 BST
Comments
Rep. Frederica Wilson: Trump didn't know the name of the fallen serviceman Sgt. David Johnson

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The mother of a soldier killed in battle has said President Donald Trump “disrespected” her daughter-in-law when he called to offer his condolences.

The claim appears to confirm accounts that Mr Trump upset the widow of Sergeant La David T Johnson, who was killed in Niger earlier this month, when he called her this week.

Mr Johnson's mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, told the Washington Post that she was in the car during the call, and that "President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband."

Florida Representative Frederica S Wilson had previously recounted the call to US news network MSNBC, claiming that the President had forgotten the fallen soldier's name. The Congresswoman said she was also in the car with his widow, Myeshia Johnson, when she received the call.

"Sarcastically, he said: 'But, you know, he must've known what he signed up for,'" Ms Wilson told NBC. "How could you say that to a grieving widow? ... I couldn't believe... and he said it more than once.”

Mr Trump disputed the account on Twitter, writing: “Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!”

But when the Washington Post asked Ms Jones-Johnson if the Congresswoman’s recollection of the call was correct, she responded that it was.

The White House neither confirmed nor denied the account, saying in a statement: “The President’s conversations with the families of American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice are private.”

Congresswoman reveals Trump's comment to the widow of an Army Sergeant

Mr Trump has been criticised for his response to the death of Mr Johnson and three other US Special Forces. The troops were gunned down at the border of Niger and Mali on 4 October. The President said nothing about the fatalities until 12 days afterward, when he was asked about them by a reporter.

Mr Trump told the reporter he would send letters to the soldiers’ families that day. He defended his silence by claiming that previous presidents – including President Barack Obama – did not make calls to the families of the fallen. The comments angered Obama administration staffers, who said the claim was false.

A senior administration official told the Washington Post that the White House had not received detailed information about the soldiers' deaths until 12 October, and that information was not fully verified by the White House Military Office until Monday. Mr Trump, however, claimed he had written the letters over the weekend.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in