During a speech on the latest jobs report, Joe Biden directly addressed President Trump for reportedly calling American war heroes "losers" and "suckers," slamming Trump with a personal anecdote about his late son, Beau.
What they're saying: "When my son volunteered to join the United States military, as the attorney general, and went to Iraq for the year — won the bronze star and other commendations — he wasn’t a sucker," Biden said.
- "When my son was an assistant U.S. Attorney who volunteered to go to Kosovo while the war was going on, as a civilian, he wasn’t a sucker," Biden added.
- He continued: "The service men and women he served with, particularly those who did not come home, were not losers."
- Biden specifically mentioned Beau's service in Kosovo on the same day that Trump met with the President of Serbia and the Prime Minister of Kosovo at the White House to sign an economic normalization agreement.
Driving the news: The Atlantic reported Thursday that, according to multiple sources, the president has privately referred to Americans who died while serving in war as "losers" and "suckers."
- The president has denied the claims, telling reporters: " It is a disgraceful situation, by a magazine that is a terrible magazine, I don't read it."
- Later in his press conference on Friday, Biden said that he believes the reporting is true. "I've never been as disappointed in my whole career with a leader that I've worked with, president or otherwise," he said. "It is a disgrace."
The big picture: Biden's visit to Delaware was his fourth in-person campaign event this week — he's largely stuck to virtual events until now. And although he released a written statement last night criticizing the president for his reported remarks, he's continuing to directly address him during these remarks.