While it was perhaps an argument with Joe Biden over golf that got Donald Trump the most fired up during the debate, Biden was noticeably angry when he reminded his foe about Beau Biden’s military service. Further addressing Trump’s flippant remarks about fallen soldiers, he said, “My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You’re the sucker, you’re the loser.” Trump’s response was to simply dismiss Biden’s comments by claiming that the “suckers and losers” quote never left his lips.
The origin of the insolent quote is a 2020 report by The Atlantic. Four sources confirmed to the publication that Trump had decided to cancel a planned trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, but the words they recalled him saying were, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” They shared that he used the term “suckers” in a different conversation about fallen marines, which arguably makes it worse — if Trump truly believes that soldiers are always at fault for their own deaths and undeserving of regard because they died in battle, then it’s scary to imagine the lives of military personnel being in his hands.
Another person with some heft to his name confirmed that he heard Trump say the remarks in question: former U.S. Marine Corps general John Kelly. Kelly also told CNN about an additional time when Trump scoffed at the sacrifices made by service members.
