US President Donald Trump referred to US Marines buried in a World War one cemetery in France as “losers” and “suckers” for getting killed in battle, reported AFP quoting the Atlantic magazine.

Donald Trump feared that his hair “would become disheveled in the rain” and refused to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018. However, the official statement given by the aides was that the helicopter due to take him there could not fly due to weather.

According to Atlantic Magazine, during a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the visit, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” He also referred to over 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as ‘suckers’ for getting killed. 

Donald Trump and his team have slammed the report, calling it offensive to the president. In a statement, Trump campaign press secretary Hogan Gidley said, “I was there in Paris and the President never said those things… These weak, pathetic, cowardly background ‘sources’ do not have the courage or decency to put their names to these false accusations because they know how completely ludicrous they are.”

Trump has also been criticised for his comments about late senator John McCain, who was captured in Vietnam and was widely regarded as a war hero. In the run-up to the 2016 election, Trump had said, “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

Following the reports, Joe Biden in a statement said, “If I have the honor of serving as the next commander in chief, I will ensure that our American heroes know that I will have their back and honor their sacrifice — always.”