President Donald Trump dismissed a question about the latest American service members to die as a result of his war on Iran.
Six American service members were killed on Thursday when an Air Force refueling aircraft crashed while supporting military operations in Iran.
The Pentagon identified the victims as Major Alex Klinner, 33, Tech Sergeant Tyler Simmons, 28, Captain Ariana G. Savino, 31, Tech Sergeant Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, Captain Seth R. Koval, 38, and Captain Curtis J. Angst, 30.
During a press gaggle with Air Force One on Sunday night, Trump spent much of his 20-minute appearance berating the media, often personally insulting reporters.
At the very end of taking questions, Trump was asked, “Do you have a comment on the six service members who passed?”
The 79-year-old did not even dignify the question with an answer, saying “Who else?” to the other reporters.
His deflection came just seconds after rudely brushing off a question from another female reporter who asked about his plans to send ground troops to the Middle East.
“I don’t talk to people like you about that,” Trump snapped. “Why would I tell you I’m sending or not sending? I don’t talk about military strategy. Who would answer a question like that?”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
The latest casualties bring the total number of Americans killed in Trump’s war on Iran to 13.
During his flight back to the White House from his Mar-a-Lago estate on Sunday, Trump was also asked about using an image of himself, wearing his own branded cap and saluting a U.S. soldier killed in his war, being used in a fundraising email to raise money for his campaigning.
“Well, I was at the dignified transfer, unlike a lot of people,” Trump snapped at the female reporter. She followed up asking if he believed it was “an appropriate” email to send.
“Yeah, I do,” Trump said before admitting, “I didn’t see it. I mean, somebody puts it up. We have a lot of people working for us.”
“There’s nobody that’s better to the military than me,” he continued.
Trump’s lack of acknowledgment comes after family members of one of the service members killed in Iran criticized the president.
The family of Tech Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, said his tragic death could have been avoided.
“Just the worst nightmare we could ever imagine. We trust in God that he will comfort us and be with our family,” Simmons’ cousin, Stephan Douglas, told NBC4 in Simmons’ native Ohio. “We believe this could have been prevented. It’s a sad day.”
He added, “We didn’t need to be in this war. This is uncalled for, and this is what we get.”
Simmons’ grandmother, Bernice Smith, also questioned Trump’s war when speaking to NBC4.
“Families are suffering right now,” she said. “Just to create a war because you want to create a war is not right.”
The family also made a statement calling for those who disagreed with Trump’s war to make a stand at the ballot box in November.
“Vote for Tyler and the five others who lost their lives recently and for all those serving our country,” the statement reads. “They are heroes who are loved and will be missed. Praying for Tyler, his fellow airmen, his family and we pray for the United States to do better and be better.”
