With just two weeks until Election Day, Left-leaning magazine The Atlantic published an article on Tuesday accusing former President Donald Trump of disparaging a slain U.S. Army private in 2020.
The Atlantic story, which was written by editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, claims that Trump “became angry” when he learned how much the funeral bill was for soldier Vanessa Guillén. The deceased 20-year-old, a daughter of Mexican immigrants, was murdered by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood in April 2020. After her death, Trump spoke to her family at the White House and offered to cover the cost of her funeral, Fox News reported.
Goldberg cites “attendees” and “contemporaneous notes of the meeting taken by a participant” to report that Trump fumed when he learned how much the family billed the White House for the funeral. According to The Atlantic, Trump responded by telling his staff, “It doesn’t cost 60,000 bucks to bury a f***ing Mexican!” Goldberg then wrote that the then-president ordered his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, not to pay the bill.
Natalie Khawam, the Guillén family’s attorney, responded to The Atlantic’s story on X, accusing Goldberg of lying and exploiting her clients “for cheap political gain.”
“After having dealt with hundreds of reporters in my legal career, this is unfortunately the first time I have to go on record and call out Jeffrey Goldberg@the Atlantic: not only did he misrepresent our conversation but he outright LIED in HIS sensational story,” Khawam wrote. “More importantly, he used and exploited my clients, and Vanessa Guillen’s murder… for cheap political gain.”
“I would like to also point out that the timing of this ‘story’ is quite suspicious, as this supposed conversation that Trump had would have occurred over 4 years ago! Why a story about it now?!” she added. “As everyone knows, not only did Trump support our military, he also invited my clients to the Oval Office and supported the I Am Vanessa Guillen bill too.”
Guillén’s sister, Mayra, also responded to The Atlantic piece and defended Trump, writing, “Wow. I don’t appreciate how you are exploiting my sister’s death for politics- hurtful & disrespectful to the important changes she made for service members. President Donald Trump did nothing but show respect to my family & Vanessa. In fact, I voted for President Trump today.”
Despite the Guillén family’s quick refutation of The Atlantic story, Goldberg’s piece gained attention in the mainstream media with outlets, such as CBS News, covering it. Shortly after publication, however, Guillén’s family blasted Goldberg and his “sensational story.”
‘CBS Evening News’ anchor Norah O’Donnell opened the show with The Atlantic story:
“Two weeks from Election Day, as the final battleground sprint is underway. Every hour matters for these candidates as they try to reach as many voters as possible in the key states that will… pic.twitter.com/ki6qjVU1QW
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 23, 2024
Meadows also pushed back against The Atlantic’s claims.
“I was in the discussions featured in the Atlantic’s latest hit piece against President Trump. Let me say this. Any suggestion that President Trump disparaged Ms. Guillen or refused to pay for her funeral expenses is absolutely false,” Meadows said. “He was nothing but kind, gracious, and wanted to make sure that the military and the U.S. government did right by Vanessa Guillen and her family.”
MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28
Ben Williamson, who was a spokesman for Meadows when he was Trump’s chief of staff, said he told The Atlantic before the piece was published that Trump “absolutely did not say that” regarding Guillén’s funeral bill. In The Atlantic piece, Goldberg wrote that Meadow’s spokesman “denied having heard Trump make the statement.”
On the left: I sent Atlantic a comment saying President Trump “absolutely did not say that,” referring to the alleged comments about Ms. Guillen they printed.
On the right: Atlantic translated that comment to “didn’t hear Trump say it.”
Treat this dishonest piece accordingly. pic.twitter.com/pM1o1c9fEm
— Ben Williamson (@_WilliamsonBen) October 22, 2024
Fox News anchor John Roberts added, “I was in the Oval Office (pool correspondent) the day Vanessa Guillen’s family visited. The meeting was somber, respectful, and according to Vanessa’s sister Mayra, very much appreciated.”
This isn’t the first article Goldberg has written based on anonymous sources accusing Trump of disparaging military members. In September 2020, just weeks before the election, Goldberg published a story that alleged Trump called Americans who die in war “losers” and “suckers.” That piece was also refuted by Trump and numerous Trump administration officials who were present.
