Donald Trump’s campaign is pushing back against a stunning new report from The Atlantic about his alleged anger when he learned the cost of a murdered soldier’s funeral, which he had vowed to pay for when he was president.
Twenty-year-old Army private Vanessa Guillén was fatally beaten with a hammer by a fellow soldier at their Texas post in April 2020. The gruesome case garnered significant media attention after her remains were discovered, leading then-President Trump to invite Guillén’s family and television crews to the White House to offer his condolences.
During the meeting, Trump told Guillén’s mother that he heard the soldier was a “spectacular person, and respected and loved by everybody.” He then made a promise: “If I can help you out with the funeral, I’ll help — I’ll help you with that … Financially, I’ll help you.” The family’s attorney told the president that the military would likely cover the costs, and Trump said that if needed, he would step in and offer more help.
Not long after, a public memorial service in Houston and a private funeral were held to honor Guillén.
People pay respects to murdered soldier Vanessa Guillén at a memorial in Austin, Texas, on July 6, 2020.
Sergio Flores/Getty
Several months later, in December 2020, Trump allegedly brought Guillén up during an Oval Office meeting. The Atlantic spoke to two witnesses who were reportedly in the room, who said that Trump asked an official, “Did they bill us for the funeral? What did it cost?”
According to the attendees, whose accounts were cross-checked with notes that a participant took at the meeting, an aide responded by telling the president that they had been billed for the funeral proceedings, and that it totaled $60,000.
Trump allegedly grew irate at the news, according to The Atlantic‘s sources, saying, “It doesn’t cost 60,000 bucks to bury a f—ing Mexican!” The witnesses claim that Trump then turned to his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and ordered him not to pay the bill.
Later that day, a witness claimed that Trump expressed continued anger at the cost, allegedly saying, “Can you believe it? F—ing people, trying to rip me off.”
The Guillén family’s attorney told The Atlantic that she did forward the bill to the White House, but never received payment from Trump, instead getting the costs covered by a mix of military aid and donations.
Donald Trump confers with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Sept. 1, 2020.
Win McNamee/Getty
When confronted with The Atlantic‘s reporting, the Trump campaign called the story an “outrageous lie” and suggested that the outlet was aiming to hurt Trump’s presidential bid as Election Day draws near.
The campaign also forwarded — to both The Atlantic and PEOPLE — accounts from others in Trump’s orbit who refuted the claims.
One denial was attributed to Kash Patel, who was in the room when the “f—ing Mexican” comment was allegedly made, saying, “Of course, President Trump didn’t say that. President Trump ensured that this victim received full military honors.”
Another came from Meadows, who has been indicted in two separate criminal cases for allegedly engaging in illegal activity on Trump’s behalf. “Any suggestion that President Trump disparaged Ms. Guillen or refused to pay for her funeral is absolutely false,” Meadows’ statement read. “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.”
Mayra Guillén — the late soldier’s sister who has remained a Trump supporter — also shared a statement, saying, “I am beyond grateful for all the support President Donald Trump showed our family during a trying time. I witnessed firsthand how President Trump honors our nation’s heroes’ service. We are grateful for everything he has done and continues to do to support our troops.”
Trump’s relationship with the military and its veterans has long been a topic of conversation, as reports of disparaging remarks have surfaced since his time in office.
In 2020, The Atlantic reported that Trump allegedly called fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers” as he canceled a cemetery visit. The outlet claimed that he also applied that criticism to late Republican Sen. John McCain, who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, saying, “We’re not going to support that loser’s funeral.”
Trump denied both of those claims — though Meghan McCain, for one, said she believed the reports because of the “consistent history and pattern” of him insulting people who served in the military.
Another widely publicized claim from Trump’s time as president, which was reported by both The New Yorker and The Atlantic, alleges that he said he didn’t want “wounded guys” in a military parade because “it doesn’t look good for me.”
Trump denied the parade story as well, but in 2023 his former chief of staff John Kelly — who was reportedly present during that conversation — seconded the allegation in a statement to CNN, calling Trump “a person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me.’ “
In the statement, the retired U.S. Marine Corps general claimed Trump “thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ “
A new book from journalist Bob Woodward, titled War, includes more Trump criticisms from those in his former administration.
Retired Army Gen. Mark A. Milley — who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump — told Woodward that he used to warn colleagues how the former Apprentice host is “a walking, talking advertisement of what he’s going to try to do.”
According to Woodward, Milley called Trump a “fascist to the core” and “the most dangerous person to this country.”
Trump’s campaign spokesperson blasted the reporting in Woodward’s book, saying, “None of these made up stories by Bob Woodward are true and are the work of a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
