“His True Character Comes Out After the Election”: McCaskill Condemns Trump Over Funeral Expenses for Vanessa Guillén
Vanessa Guillén. U.S. Army
Former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) weighed in on a damning report from The Atlantic on Tuesday, which revealed that Donald Trump reneged on his promise to cover the funeral expenses for Army Private Vanessa Guillén, a murdered soldier whose case shook the nation in 2020. McCaskill’s remarks were part of a broader discussion on Trump’s treatment of the military and his failure to honor commitments made to the grieving family.
Vanessa Guillén’s brutal murder in April 2020 by fellow soldier Aaron David Robinson stunned the world. After she was bludgeoned to death and her dismembered remains were hidden on the Fort Hood base, it took two months for her body to be discovered. Guillén had previously confided in friends and family that Robinson, a superior officer, had sexually harassed her, but she feared reporting it due to the chain of command. When police finally cornered Robinson, he fled and took his own life.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Trump promised to help the Guillén family cover the funeral costs. However, when the bill arrived, Trump reportedly balked at the price. According to The Atlantic’s report, Trump reacted angrily, exclaiming, “It doesn’t cost 60,000 bucks to bury a f—ing Mexican!” He then demanded that the bill go unpaid, accusing the family of trying to “rip me off.”
McCaskill Highlights Trump’s Election-Driven Promises
McCaskill underscored the timing of Trump’s initial promise, noting that his pledge to pay for the funeral came during his 2020 re-election campaign, a period when he was eager to win over voters.
“When he promised a family he would take care of their funeral expenses, that was before the election,” McCaskill said. “That was in April of 2020. When he said, ‘I’m not going to pay to bury the f-ing Mexican,’ that was after he had lost in December.”
She stressed that Trump’s true character often emerges when the pressures of election politics are no longer in play. “Remember, he’ll say anything before an election, but his true character comes out after the election,” McCaskill told viewers.
A Pattern of Disrespect Toward the Military
McCaskill also pointed out how Trump’s behavior toward the military, as revealed in various reports, follows a consistent pattern of disrespect. She referenced The Atlantic’s previous reporting by Jeffrey Goldberg, which detailed Trump’s disparaging comments about military service members, including his infamous remarks about Senator John McCain being a prisoner of war.
“They’re pulling the thread from the very beginning,” McCaskill said, referring to the cumulative evidence of Trump’s disdain for military sacrifice. “He shocked us all by looking down his nose at John McCain for being a prisoner of war, all the way through his presidency when he would not embrace those who had been wounded in the war.”
She added that Trump avoided visiting soldiers who made the “ultimate sacrifice for the world’s freedom,” apparently concerned about how such visits might affect his appearance.
McCaskill emphasized the consistency of Trump’s actions, which, she argued, reveal a pattern of disrespect for military members and their families. “This is what is consistent about Trump,” she concluded.
