Wednesday Afternoon News Update: Trump's Shameful Comments About Our Fallen Soldiers as War Rages — 7/22/26
Trump can’t even honor the dead without lying about what they said
Hi all, Ben here. It’s Wednesday, and there is somehow even more than usual to catch you up on. Another thank you to those who have preordered our new book, WTF America, which is available in hardcover, audiobook, and e-book. Preorder your copy here and let me know if you do in the comments!
Here’s what we’re tracking:
Trump’s disastrous appearance at Dover Air Force Base for the dignified transfer of four US service members killed in his Iran war
The US quietly evacuating aircraft from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as Iran keeps hitting American bases across the region
Iranian strikes on radar systems in Kuwait and a hangar at King Faisal Air Base in Jordan
The first-ever Iranian ballistic missile strike on Saudi Arabia, with explosions also reported in Bahrain
Trump threatening to bomb a bridge or power plant in Tehran for every Iranian strike on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran’s response
Houthi forces reportedly prepared to attack shipping near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Oil prices spiking as Brent crude hits $94.50 a barrel
Confirmation that Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, previously listed as missing, has died
Trump posting a chart bragging that his Iran war death toll
Hegseth’s disastrous Senate testimony yesterday
Rep. Ted Lieu shredding UN Ambassador Mike Waltz over the actual number of wounded troops
Marco Rubio downplaying Chinese and Russian targeting assistance to Iran, and getting caught lying about the Hormuz memorandum of understanding
Rubio having to reassure allies the US isn’t putting “kill switches” in military equipment
The Trump administration greenlighting a Saudi nuclear program and giving the UAE broad access to US AI and semiconductor technology
A new report on ICE officers admitting low morale, unsafe staffing, and untrained recruits being pushed onto the street
A new report that the US collected more than $13 billion from Venezuelan oil sales with no accounting of where the money went
Escalating tension between Israel and Turkey, and Israel’s plan for crocodile-filled moats around Hamas prisoners
Ukraine striking deep into Russian territory, hitting logistics hubs, an oil depot, shadow-fleet vessels, and Russian distribution centers
Trump threatening a new 50 percent tariff on Canadian exports, and pointed pushback from Ontario, BC, and Prime Minister Carney
The House voting today on a budget resolution that sets up a third GOP reconciliation package
A wave of House Democrats tearing into Hegseth’s testimony, from Jeffries to Raskin to AOC
New reporting on the death of French model recruiter Daniel Siad, whose name appears more than 2,000 times in the DOJ’s Epstein files
The release of an independent autopsy in the case of Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old whose death near Horn Island, Mississippi is still under scrutiny
I told you there was a lot to cover today!
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Now let’s get into it.
Trump’s Disgraceful Comments About Our Fallen Soldiers
Donald Trump arrived at Dover Air Force Base today for the dignified transfer of four American service members killed in his unlawful war with Iran, and he brought along Natalie Harp, the aide widely mocked online as his “human printer,” standing next to him on the tarmac. You’d think a moment like that would be the one time a president manages to keep politics out of it. Not with Trump.
Trump put words in the fallen soldiers mouths, telling reporters that the fallen troops had all said that they didn’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon and that they’d be fine with how things turned out. Using their deaths to manufacture consent for a war they didn’t choose is about as low as it gets. Republican former congressman Justin Amash called it disgusting and shameful for a president to put words in the mouths of service members who can no longer speak for themselves. He’s right.
Trump also insisted that Americans aren’t against the war, which is news to basically everyone, and when a reporter raised the barracks strike in Jordan, his response was that Iran is “going to pay a big price,” followed by an attack on the reporter accusing the reporter of wanting Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
And here’s the part that should really alarm you.
