Rubin: Trump's slurs of allied soldiers who died in Afghanistan shake NATO

"It was a falsehood so painful that it drew criticism from European political parties of the left and right, and even provoked a private caution from Britain's King Charles III. It was an insult so outrageous that it has probably alienated the British and other European publics more than any previous Trump attack. Trump, a man who avoided Vietnam service by claiming he had bone spurs, spat on the sacrifice of European soldiers who died fighting alongside American troops in Afghanistan."

"Trump mocked NATO and questioned whether the alliance would be there for us if the United States needed help even though European members of NATO rushed to support the U.S. in the wake of 9/11. Adding insult to injury, the president falsely claimed on Fox News that the NATO allies stayed off the front lines in Afghanistan. Tell that to the families of the 1,160 allied troops who died in the hottest Afghan combat zones, alongside 2,461 fallen Americans."

"Imagine how Trump's words affected the mother of Danish machine-gunner Sophia Bruun, killed in action in 2010 at the age of 22, who fought alongside British army troops in the battlefront province of Helmand. Denmark, with 44 dead, some from Greenland, and a population of only 5 million, suffered the highest per capita casualties in the allied coalition."

Donald Trump repeatedly made false and insulting claims about NATO and European contributions in Afghanistan, suggesting allies stayed off front lines and questioning Allied support. European NATO members rushed to support the U.S. after 9/11 and suffered substantial casualties fighting alongside American forces. Allied losses included 1,160 dead in combat zones and many thousands wounded, compared with 2,461 fallen Americans. Smaller NATO members experienced high per-capita losses; Denmark lost 44 troops, some from Greenland, yielding the highest allied per-capita casualty rate. Military families and national leaders reacted with anger and dismay to the spurious charges.

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