If Trump hadn’t lied in the first place, if he’d simply said, “What I said came out poorly, I didn’t mean for it to sound that way and I apologize for unintentionally hurting the family,” even those of who hate the bastard would have had some measure of respect and sympathy for him. None of us would want to be the person making such a phone call. This whole thing would have ended two days ago.
As for General Kelly, I’m sorry his personal grief and loss were politicized, but, what he said was even worse than Trump’s fumbled attempt at condolences. Kelly wasn’t speaking directly to the wife of a man who had died on his watch, as Trump was. Kelly was in a position to calm the waters, and he chose, instead, to whip up a storm.
To top it all off, he was completely condescending to all who are not Gold Star families during his press conference. Someone needs to remind General Kelly that the USA is not a feudal society; the warrior class is not more privileged and honored than the rest of us. That sort of thinking is dangerous and it needs to end now.