President Donald Trump is like a beaming ray of hope compared to his successor’s desperate failures, especially with the botched troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. As the families of the 13 heroic U.S. service members killed in the ISIS-K suicide bombings finish preparations for their loved ones’ funerals, President Trump gave them a call to express condolences and offer assistance for their memorial services.
Darin Hoover, father of Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, was one of the family members who received a phone call out of the blue from Trump. Expressing his feelings about hearing from the 45th president, Hoover said, “It was just very cordial, very understanding. He was awesome,” he told The Washington Post. “He was just talking about the finest of the finest. He said he heard and saw everything that we had said, and he offered his condolences several times, and how sorry he was.”
Some of the families Trump spoke with extended an invitation to him to attend their children’s funerals – and he has suggested he may attend, The Post reported.
Shana Chappell, mother of slain Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, invited Trump via social media to attend the memorial service taking place on Sept. 18 in Riverside, Calif.
“It would be such an honor to meet the real President of the United States of America, President Trump,” Chappell said in a viral Facebook post on Sept. 2. “I love you and America loves you.”
“Thank you Shana,” Trump responded in a statement on Labor Day. “Our country loves you and especially loves your beautiful boy, Kareem.”
While some of the Gold Star families have embraced Trump’s efforts and invited him to attend their funerals, there are no reports to confirm that the Gold Star families have extended the same invitation to Joe Biden.
In fact, they have shown little desire to having any further dialogue with Biden who, according to Gold Star parents’ own accounts, was rude, disrespectful, and dismissive of them when they met.
Both of Kareem Nikoui’s parents are among those criticizing Biden. His father, Steve Nikoui, told The Daily Beast a day after finding out about his son’s death that Biden “turned his back” on him. Shana Chappell, Kareem’s mother, slammed Biden on Facebook, saying he is “a weak human being and a traitor.”
“MY SONS BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS!!! All 13 of them, their blood is on your hands!!!” Shana stated in a fiery Facebook post.
Mark Schmitz, father of slain Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, said he too felt disappointed by his meeting with Biden who selfishly talked more about his own son, Beau, which “didn’t sit well” with him.
Although Biden met with some of the families at Dover Air Force Base when the fallen troops’ remains were repatriated, most of them were not receptive of his visit. Biden often repeated the story of his son losing his battle to cancer, which notably, does not relate to the sudden loss of a child who was killed in a terrorist attack overseas while serving their country. He was also caught inappropriately checking his watch multiple times, with the fathers of two slain service members calling the act “disrespectful.”
As Biden’s job approval numbers continue to worsen, President Trump is continuing to lead by being willing to right the wrongs of the current administration when Biden can’t.
