President Donald Trump’s media machine won’t stop—even if it means flouting the wishes of the families of soldiers killed in his war with Iran.
The families of the six U.S. Air Force airmen who died last week when a refueling aircraft crashed while supporting military operations in Iran had explicitly asked for privacy during the dignified transfer of their remains on Wednesday, which the president attended.
Fox News’ John Roberts said during the day’s broadcast of America Reports that the troops’ kin asked for the transfer to remain private, banning cameras from capturing Trump welcoming the fallen service members back home.
“So unlike we have seen in the past, we will not see scenes of the president welcoming the heroes back home,” Roberts said.
But while the press honored the families’ request, the White House apparently couldn’t resist turning the moment into a photo op for Trump.
The White House’s official X account posted five photos of Trump at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, showing him standing at the bottom of the aft ramp of the plane that had carried the fallen soldiers home and saluting as a flag-draped casket is carried off.
The photos were posted alongside emoji-filled captions.
“President Donald J. Trump attends the dignified transfer of six American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in a refueling plane crash while serving our nation. 🇺🇸 🙏” the White House wrote. “May God bless them and their families.”
A follow up caption declared, “Their courage will never be forgotten. 🇺🇸”
The post listed the names of the six service members, who have been identified as Maj. John Klinner, 33; Capt. Ariana Savino, 31; Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34; Capt. Seth Koval, 38; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28.
When responding to a request for comment, an unnamed White House official emailed the Daily Beast through its press account, claiming that while the fallen soldiers’ families did not want press, they had signed off on official photography.
The same email account has previously shared incorrect information with the Daily Beast. For example, when Karoline Leavitt’s extended family was caught up in the ICE raids, an anonymous email from the same account claimed Leavitt’s nephew had been abandoned by her Brazilian-born mother, something the mom later furiously refuted.
The White House press team often withholds key details. For instance, it said only that Trump had undergone “advanced imaging” until the president himself blurted out that it was an MRI last year. It also frequently sends insults in response to inquiries, calling the Daily Beast “mentally ill” for reporting on Trump’s health.
Wednesday’s dignified transfer marked the second time that Trump attended the solemn military ritual since launching his war against Iran last month.
Earlier this month, Trump drew condemnation from across the political spectrum after he became the first president in history to wear a baseball hat for a dignified transfer—one from his own merchandise collection at that.
He then turned his already controversial appearance at a dignified transfer into a pitch for cash, using images of himself from that dignified transfer in a fundraising email linking to a site requesting donations to help Trump continue delivering on his “MAGA agenda.”
