President Trump called Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) a “loser” and “a total Fake” after Blumenthal criticized news that cost estimates for Trump’s proposed military parade exceeded initial estimates by millions.
Blumenthal had criticized news that cost estimates for the parade had reached $92 million, around $80 million more than initially estimated.
{mosads}”How can ‘Senator’ Richard Blumenthal, who went around for twenty years as a Connecticut politician bragging that he was a great Marine war hero in Vietnam (then got caught and sobbingly admitted he was neither a Marine nor ever in Vietnam), pass judgement on anyone? Loser!” the president tweeted, citing a past controversy about Blumenthal’s military service during Vietnam that Trump has brought up in the past.
“’Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is a FAKE War Hero,’” Trump added, apparently quoting Fox News host Tucker Carlson in a second tweet. “So true, a total Fake!”
Blumenthal served as a member of the Marine Reserve during the war and was caught by The New York Times in 2010 stating that he “served in Vietnam,” despite never performing military service in the country.
The president’s attacks followed Blumenthal’s tweet earlier in the evening urging the Trump administration to show “real patriotism” by supporting and improving health benefits for veterans instead of spending money on a costly parade.
“Real patriotism should mean $92 million to honor military service & benefit veterans, not glorify politicians. Improve vets health care, more jobs & skills, end vet homelessness & suicides—still killing at least 20 heroes every day,” the senator tweeted.
The Pentagon announced Thursday that plans for Trump’s military parade, which were the target for Democratic criticism long before the cost estimates were announced, would be pushed back to at least 2019 as the Defense Department reconsiders plans to host the parade this November.
“The Department of Defense and White House have been planning a parade to honor America’s military veterans and commemorate the centennial of World War I. We originally targeted November 10, 2018 for this event but have now agreed to explore opportunities in 2019,” Pentagon spokesman Rob Manning said.
Blumenthal in 2010 acknowledged that in previous statements about his military service, he should have said he served “during” the war rather than “in” it.