I feel like I need to give a disclaimer before I start this: I hate Donald Trump. I haven’t been pleased with any of his actions or decisions from his campaign all the way to his almost year as president. I always try to be respectful of others opinions, but the issue at hand is not an opinion; it’s a question of the humanity of the president.

Many of my best friends and family members are currently in the military or are veterans. I know what the military is and how much these young people sacrifice for our country. The military is no joke and shouldn’t be taken lightly, so why does the president take this sacrifice so lightly?

Let’s start with before Trump was president, a much simpler time where the idea of Hillary Clinton as president made my mom cry during the Democratic National Convention. We saw at the DNC a family who lost their son in the armed forces; these families are known as Gold Star families. Most viewers watching were so struck by how courageous the Khan family was for speaking about their son’s sacrifice.

However, Trump saw it as a direct attack on his campaign, trying to discredit their speech and point out that the mother was probably unable to speak because she was Muslim. We were shocked that anyone, despite their political beliefs would attack a family obviously still scarred by their son’s death. Trump also pointed out his own sacrifices, like sitting safely behind a desk during business engagements.

Fast forward to when he is our president for ten months, and we have seen the same disrespect to Gold Star families. While calling the wife of Sgt. La David Johnson to give his condolences, Trump forgot the soldier’s name and stated, ‘he knew what he signed up for.’ This treatment is ridiculously problematic.

Forgetting a fallen soldier’s name is disrespectful. But, forgetting his name while giving his condolences to his widow? This is a lack of basic humanity. His wife heard the most traumatic news a military family can hear, and the Commander-in-Chief forgot his own soldier’s name.

Yes, saying ‘he knew what he signed up for’ is technically correct. You swear into the armed forces saying you will defend the Constitution at all costs, even for your life. So yes, you do sign up for that. But why would you tell a grieving family about this while trying to give your condolences to the family?

This isn’t a debate about war, or the military or even Trump, it’s a debate about humanity. As Commander-in-Chief, President Trump is responsible for every single soldier. They swear to follow his commands, yet he won’t respect their families with basic
dignity?

When will we hold him accountable and make him apologize? When will we finally say that he is not for the soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines that defend this country every day? And when will we stop letting our president belittle families who lost a loved one because of his commands?