Fury as Trump downplays severity of brain injuries suffered by 109 US soldiers: ‘What does injured mean?’

More than a dozen missiles struck the al-Asad Air Base in Iraq on January 8, 2020, leaving dozens of soldiers injured

Donald Trump is facing backlash for downplaying the traumatic brain injuries suffered by 109 U.S. service members after an Iranian ballistic missile attack in 2020. 

The Republican presidential candidate made the remarks at a campaign press event on Tuesday after a reporter asked him if he should have been “tougher” on Iran during his time in the White House following the attack that left troops injured.

“First of all, injured, what does injured mean?” Trump replied. “You mean because they had a headache? Because the bombs never hit the fort.”

More than a dozen missiles struck the al-Asad Air Base in Iraq on January 8, 2020. No U.S. service members were killed but approximately 109 were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. Twenty-nine of the injured soldiers received Purple Hearts in the wake of the attack.

Donald Trump described the traumatic brain injuries suffered by 109 US service members following an Iranian ballistic missile attack as ‘headaches’ at a press conference on October 1 (AFP via Getty Images)

At the time, Trump tweeted: “All is well!” – apparently against the advice of his officials.

On Tuesday, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Pentagon spokesperson during the Trump administration, wrote on X that the Department of Defense had advised the White House in January 2020 to avoid saying there were no injuries because “initial assessments are often wrong”. Later, U.S. officials revealed that more than 100 soldiers had suffered brain injuries. 

But Trump still repeated the claim on Tuesday, saying that “nobody was ever tougher on Iraq” than him – appearing to confuse Iraq with Iran.

Lawmakers and veterans slammed the remarks.

“This is who Donald Trump is: A man who called fallen American soldiers ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’,” Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a Navy veteran, said. “A man who just dismissed the sacrifice of service members injured while he was Commander in Chief. A man who should never have that responsibility again.”

During the vice presidential debate, Democratic candidate Tim Walz, an Army National Guard veteran, accused Trump of being a “fickle” leader.

“When Iranian missiles did fall near U.S. troops, and they received traumatic brain injuries, Donald Trump wrote it off as headaches,” Walz said.

Former Kentucky congressional candidate and Marine Corps veteran Amy McGrath wrote on X: “Trump of course criticizing VP Harris somehow for the recent Iranian attacks. But let’s remember that Iran shot down a U.S. drone in 2019 and what did Trump do? He sent out a tweet. And when Iran attacked our troops causing TBI injuries, Trump dismissed them as ‘headaches.’”

Veterans for Harris called Trump’s comment, “one of the most vile comments Trump has ever made.”

Brian Hughes, a senior advisor for the Trump campaign said in a statement: “As the words and actions of the Abbey Gate Gold Star families demonstrate, President Trump’s record of support for servicemembers, veterans, and their families stands in stark contrast to the dangerously liberal and weak record of Kamala.

“President Trump rebuilt our military and expanded support for veterans to have a strong standing in the world and the peace and stability that comes with that strength, and he is the only candidate that will put veterans and military families first in a second term.”

He claimed the “weakness” of Harris and Biden “brought war in the Middle East and Ukraine”, “the brink of war in Asia” and “more war in the rest of Europe.”

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include a response from the Trump campaign