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

Ariana Baio
7 hours ago

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
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