Trump Suggests That Soldiers Who Suffer From PTSD Aren’t “Strong”

Source: BuzzFeed News | October 3, 2016 | Ema O'Connor

“When people come back from war and combat and they see maybe what the people in this room have seen many times over, and you’re strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can’t handle it,” Trump told a room full of veterans.

Donald Trump on Monday suggested to a room full of veterans that soldiers who return from war suffering from PTSD are not “strong” and “can’t handle it.”

The GOP presidential candidate’s statement came during a Q&A at the Retired American Warriors PAC. Some of the questions were about the suicide epidemic in the military and criticism of the Veterans Administration (VA) for falling short on providing veterans with the mental health treatment they need.

After saying there are around 22 veteran suicides a day, Trump explained to the room of veterans what PTSD was.

When people come back from war and combat and they see maybe what the people in this room have seen many times over, and you’re strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can’t handle it,” Trump said.

There was a silence in the room after his statement, and people on social media were quick to express anger.

Following a request for response to Trump’s statements, the Camp Hope PTSD Foundation emailed BuzzFeed News this screenshot, tweeted after Trump’s statement.

Jon Soltz, a veteran of the Iraq war and the chairman of the Vote Vets organization, sent BuzzFeed News a statement calling Trump’s remarks “horrible” but “not shocking.”

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Trump obtained four deferments from the draft into the Vietnam war before being medically disqualified from serving in the military in 1968.

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