suggested sending Americans infected with coronavirus to Guantanamo Bay?

According to the book Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic That Changed History, authored by Washington Post reporters, Trump inquired about sending coronavirus-infected Americans to Guantanamo Bay.

“Don’t we have an island that we own? What about Guantanamo?” Trump reportedly asked in February 2020.

Guantanamo, aside from not being an island, is a military prison commonly used to house suspects of terrorism.

Trump publicly and repeatedly dismissed concerns about coronavirus throughout the pandemic.

The Washington Post – New book offers fresh details about chaos, conflicts inside Trump’s pandemic response
Forbes – Trump Reportedly Considered Sending Covid-Infected American Tourists To Guantanamo
Vanity Fair – Not a Joke: Trump Wanted to Send COVID-Infected Americans to Guantánamo Bay
Al Jazeera – Trump wanted to send COVID-infected Americans to Guantanamo: Book

was endorsed by the Taliban?

On October 9, 2020, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, “Trump might be ridiculous for the rest of the world, but he is sane and wise man for the Taliban.”

Mujahid explained their support: “We hope he will win the election and wind up U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. When we heard about Trump being COVID-19 positive, we got worried for his health, but seems he is getting better.”

Two days prior to the endorsement, Trump tweeted that all remaining US personnel in Afghanistan should be home by Christmas.

In the year, Trump spoke with Taliban leaders and announced peace talks, but the agreement soon after scrapped.

The day after the Taliban’s endorsement, a Trump campaign spokesman rejected.

Axios – Trump campaign rejects Taliban’s endorsement for U.S. president
The Hill – Taliban supports Trump reelection
CBS News – The Taliban on Trump: “We hope he will win the election” and withdraw U.S. troops
Politico – Trump confirms ‘very good talk’ with Taliban leaders

siphoned billions from the Defense Department to pay for the border wall?

Despite repeatedly claiming that Mexico would pay for the border wall, Trump requested and redirected billions of dollars for funding.

Trump repeatedly ran into funding difficulties through the official budget. The federal government shut down for 35 days starting in December 2018 when Trump refused to sign any funding bill that didn’t include money for the wall.

In March 2019, The Department of Defense is shifting $1 billion from a military personnel account to build a 57-mile fence

In August 2019, a quarter billion dollars were taken from FEMA, the federal organization responsible for disaster response and funding.

In September 2019, The Pentagon announced that 127 military projects would be delayed or suspended in order to provide $3.6 billion in funding for the wall.

In April, 2020, an additional half billion was pulled from overseas military construction projects.

In June 2020, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that $2.5 billion in Defense Department funds were diverted illegally for the wall, as it was without congressional approval.

A private organization that sought to gain additional funding, We Build the Wall, raised approximately $25 million for the effort. In August 2020, longtime Trump ally and chair of the organization Steve Bannon was arrested for fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

As of January 2020, from official and redirected funds, $11 billion had been spent on the wall at a cost of approximately $20 million per mile.

NPR – Pentagon Takes $1 Billion From Military Personnel Account To Build Border Fence
US News & World Report – Trump Administration to Redirect FEMA Money to Border
Vanity Fair – Trump Is Using More Pentagon Money to Pay For His Border Wall
Politico – Pentagon pulls money from overseas projects to pay for border wall
Wikipedia – We Build The Wall
NPR – $11 Billion And Counting: Trump’s Border Wall Would Be The World’s Most Costly

called fallen US service members “suckers” and “losers”?

An Atlantic report from September, 2020 revealed that, while in France, Trump refused to visit a cemetery of American soldiers from World War I. It was raining, and Trump reportedly didn’t want to get his hair, wet, something he has voiced concern about elsewhere. During the trip, Trump remarked, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation he referred to them as “suckers.” Publicly, Trump claimed that he couldn’t visit the cemetery because of extremely poor weather, though other major political figures like the President of France were able to attend.

The Atlantic report also noted that Trump refused to lend any support to late US Senator John McCain’s funeral, and was angered that flags were flown at half-staff, saying, “What the f-ck are we doing that for? Guy was a f-cking loser.” Trump famously said he didn’t consider McCain a war hero because he was captured, and attacked him repeatedly for his vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Senior Defense officials also confirmed the accuracy of the Atlantic article to the Associated Press. They also noted that during a 2017 visit to the Arlington Cemetery Trump asked his then-Chief of Staff, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”

Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin also confirmed some details of the Atlantic story, but could not confirm the specific point on “suckers” and “losers.” Still, Trump called for her to be fired for her reporting on claims made.

Trump has denied all reports about his remarks.

During his tenure, Trump also attacked a Gold Star family, brought a war widow to tears, and called dodging STDs his personal Vietnam. He also refused to take action on reports on Russian bounties being placed on US soldiers in Afghanistan.

The Atlantic – Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’
Newsweek – Trump Calls for Firing of Fox Reporter Who Confirmed Atlantic Article on Veterans
Associated Press – Report: Trump disparaged US war dead as ‘losers,’ ‘suckers’ 
Talking Points Memo – Two Senior Officials Confirm Trump’s Remarks About Fallen Soldiers To AP

had cadets travel back to campus and undergo quarantine for a speech amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

In April, 2020, Trump announced that he would give the commencement speech for the graduating class at West Point on June 13. West Point officials were reportedly surprised by the decision, as they had sent home the class in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the press conference, Trump discussed how the ceremony would be socially distanced, saying that he didn’t like the look and preferred it “nice and tight.”

1,106 cadets were summoned from across the country back to their campus in New York, which was the epicenter of COVID-19 at the time. The graduating cadets were required to live in quarantine for the two weeks leading up to the speech, confined to their dorms and being required to stay in assigned cohorts. 15 had tested positive for COVID-19, though officials said that no one else was infected.

Illinois US Senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost both of her legs serving as a helicopter pilot in the Iraq War, was among the most outspoken critics of the decision:

15 of the cadets tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after their return.

The New York Times – Graduating West Point Cadets Isolate for Two Weeks Ahead of Trump Speech
The New York Times – 15 West Point Cadets Test Positive for Coronavirus
Vanity Fair – Trump Is Making Cadets Return To Campus So He Can Give A Speech
CNN – Trump says he’ll deliver West Point graduation speech to socially distanced crowd

did nothing when Russia likely placed bounties on US soldiers?

It was revealed in June of 2020, that Russia was likely offering bounties to the Taliban to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan. The intelligence was of medium confidence, meaning it was credibly sourced and plausible, but fell short of near certainty. Trump had been briefed in February about the bounty program. Large financial transfers were discovered between the Russian intelligence services and a Taliban-linked account, and Afghan sources alleged that up to $100,000 was offered per American.

Despite the bounty program, Trump advocated for Russia to be returned to the G7, though the proposal was rejected by its other members. Russia was removed from the economic forum in 2014 because of their invasion and annexation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.

Trump said via tweet that he had never been briefed on the matter, labeling it as “fake news,” and claimed that “nobody’s been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration.” He repeated this claim when asked about US intelligence indicating that Russia was attempting to influence the 2020 election.

In an August 3 interview, Trump said that he never raised the subject of Russian bounties with Putin.

Later in August, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged that Russia offered bounties to militants, saying he and the US military warned Russian officials about possible repercussions.

Trump has criticized NATO since his 2016 campaign, and accepted Putin’s “strong and powerful” denial that Russia didn’t interfere in the 2016 election over the word of his own intelligence services.

The New York Times – Trump Got Written Briefing in February on Possible Russian Bounties, Officials Say
BBC News – Afghanistan war: Trump got written briefing on ‘Russia bounties’, reports say
The New York Times – Trump Still Defers to Putin, Even as He Dismisses U.S. Intelligence and the Allies
Military Times – Trump calls reports of Russian bounties on US troops a ‘hoax’
Axios – Exclusive: Trump never raised Russia’s Taliban bounties with Putin
The New York Times – Trump and Putin Discuss Russia’s Attendance at G7, but Allies Are Wary
Politico – Pompeo, Pentagon warned Russia against offering bounties for killing U.S. troops
Reuters – Most Americans believe Russia targeted U.S. soldiers, want sanctions in response – Reuters/Ipsos poll
Wikipedia – Russian bounty program

took credit for Obama’s Veteran’s Choice bill?

Throughout his presidency, Trump claimed multiple times that he was responsible for the Veteran’s Choice Program, which allows veterans to seek care outside of VA medical facilities. The bill as part of a bipartisan effort signed into law in 2014 by Barack Obama. Trump signed the Mission Act in 2018, which expanded on the Veteran’s Choice Program

During an October, 2018 rally in Tennessee, Trump said,

We just passed choice. That was 44 years, they’ve been trying to pass choice. They’ve been trying to pass that one for many many decades. They couldn’t do it. We got it passed.

At a May, 2019 rally in Pennsylvania, Trump reiterated his claims:

We passed VA Choice and VA Accountability to give our veterans the care that they deserve and they have been trying to pass these things for 45 years.

Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in Charge of the Veterans Health Administration, said Trump’s expansion was to “almost be a non-event,” as wait times were longer in private hospitals than VA facilities, and the use of private hospitals by veterans had begun to decline in response.

Trump again made the claim in an August, 2020 press conference, but when pressed on the inaccuracy of the claim, left abruptly.

Associated Press – AP FACT CHECK: Trump takes credit for Obama’s gains for vets
Rolling Stone – Trump Takes Credit for Veterans Healthcare Program That Started Under Obama
Slate – Watch Trump Abruptly End News Conference After He Is Challenged on Veterans Choice Lie
Snopes – Trump Takes Credit for Obama’s Gains for Vets
Military.com – A Million Veterans Have Looked Into Private Care Since Mission Act Rollout​
Wikipedia – Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014

revoked a rule for reporting on drone strikes?

In March of 2019, Trump signed an Executive Order that ended reporting for the number of strikes and casualties, both civilian and military, by drones outside of the direct purview of the military. This includes all those conducted by non-military agencies like the CIA, effectively allowing the President to deploy drones against any target, civilian or military, in secret.

Since 2017, the Trump administration has given the CIA broader scope and less restrictions on drone strikes abroad. The move has actively counteracting former President Obama’s efforts to increase transparency and transition the authority for drone strikes to the military, where the National Defense Authorization Act still requires reporting. While Obama’s 2013 Presidential Policy Guidance sought to tighten restrictions on drone strikes in areas not designated as an active battlefield with American troop presence, the Trump administration expanded the definition of battlefields, rendering the distinction useless.

Trump has also advocated targeting the families of suspected terrorists and threatened to bomb cultural sites.

BBC News – Trump revokes Obama rule on reporting drone strike deaths
Time – President Trump Cancels Rule Requiring U.S. to Report Civilians Killed in Drone Strikes
Business Insider – Trump quietly rewrote the rules of drone warfare, which means the US can now kill civilians in secret
NBC News – Trump Administration Wants to Increase CIA Drone Strikes
Foreign Policy – Trump Inherited the Drone War but Ditched Accountability

was denounced by his former Secretary of Defense for making “a mockery of our Constitution”?

In June 2020, former Secretary of Defense James Mattis wrote an op-ed titled “In Union there is Strength” in which he attacked Trump’s handling of ongoing protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police.

Mattis specifically referenced Trump and what he considered to be a failure of leadership:

Don­ald Trump is the first pres­i­dent in my life­time who does not try to unite the Amer­i­can peo­ple — does not even pre­tend to try. In­stead, he tries to di­vide us. We are wit­ness­ing the con­se­quences of three years of this de­lib­er­ate ef­fort. We are wit­ness­ing the con­se­quences of three years with­out ma­ture lead­er­ship. We can unite with­out him, draw­ing on the strengths in­her­ent in our civil so­ci­ety. …We must re­ject and hold ac­count­able those in of­fice who would make a mock­ery of our Con­sti­tu­tion. At the same time, we must re­mem­ber Lin­coln’s “bet­ter an­gels,” and lis­ten to them, as we work to unite.

Mattis also commented on Trump’s handling of ongoing protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police:

At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society.

Trump responded via tweet, calling Mattis “the world’s most overrated general.”

Mattis, a retired four-star Marine Corps general, resigned as SecDef in 2018 in protest to Trump’s Syrian policy and withdrawal of US troops from the area.

The Atlantic – James Mattis Denounces President Trump, Describes Him as a Threat to the Constitution
The New York Times – Mattis Accuses Trump of Dividing the Nation in a Time of Crisis

touted a new “super-duper missile”?

In May of 2020, Trump boasted of a new missile under development, which he described as a “super duper missile” that travels “17 times faster than what they have right now.” While Trump promised that it would provide leverage over Russia and China, the Pentagon had no comment.

The remark came amid Trump’s unveiling of early details about the US Space Force, the first new military branch established since the US Air Force in 1947.

Trump continued to tout the missile throughout the year.

The Hill – Trump touts new ‘super-duper’ missile that can allegedly travel 17 times faster than current missiles
AP News – Space Force unveils flag; Trump touts ‘super-duper missile’
Popular Mechanics – What Is Trump’s ‘Super Duper Missile’?: An Investigation

More assuredly to come soon

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