WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump falsely said that President Barack Obama and other previous presidents failed to call the families of soldiers killed in action, drawing angry rebukes from Obama aides.
Trump made the accusation during an impromptu news conference Monday, while defending himself for failing to call the families of four soldiers killed 12 days ago in an ambush in Niger.
Trump said he had written letters "and they're going to be going out either today or tomorrow" and that he would call parents and families "at some point." He said how difficult the calls are and said, "President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn't make calls. A lot of them didn't make calls."
That's not true. Alyssa Mastromonaco, a deputy chief of staff for Obama, used profanity in an angry tweet, calling it a lie. "He's a deranged animal," she said of Trump.
Former White House photographer Pete Souza posted on his Instagram account a photo of Obama meeting with parents of a fallen sergeant, while recounting meetings with "hundreds of wounded soldiers and those killed in action."
Later in his news conference, Trump was asked about the false claim and backed off slightly, saying of Obama, "I don't know if he did."
"I was told that he didn't often, and a lot of presidents don't," Trump said. "They write letters."
