Ahead of speech, Kansas City newspaper urges Trump to listen to veterans

The Kansas City Star’s editorial board implored President Trump to listen to veterans during his Tuesday stop in the city to speak to the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention.

The paper’s editorial board penned an opinion piece published Monday in which it noted Trump’s penchant for bombastic rhetoric and his lack of military experience. It also pointed to his Sunday night tweet in which he warned Iran that it would face “CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE” if it threatened the U.S.

“The president should take this opportunity to do something he’s not known for, and that’s to listen — and we mean really listen — to some of the heroes who will be on hand to hear him. They surely will have something to say to him about the realities of war and the horrors of combat,” the editorial board wrote.

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“Those insights would be good for Trump to hear now as he continues to rattle his saber at foes around the globe,” the board continued.

The Kansas City Star noted that Trump received deferments from military service because of bone spurs, and, like his predecessor, former President Obama, Trump “knows little about the realities of war.” It suggested he speak with a local veteran, Leroy Tyler Jr., who served in Vietnam.

“Trump needs to hear those stories, and he can’t hear them often enough,” the Star’s editorial board wrote. “All presidents do, but especially this one.”

The president is scheduled to speak to the VFW convention at 12:30 EDT before holding a roundtable with supporters.

Trump’s military deferments have often been a magnet for criticism from Democrats.

Despite that, the president frequently praises veterans and speaks highly of the military. He often endorses candidates by describing them as great for veterans.

The Senate on Monday confirmed Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, Robert Wilkie. Senators voted 86-9 to confirm Wilkie roughly four months after the former VA Secretary, David Shulkin, was ousted.