Trump Claims to Favor Veterans but Calls Them "Losers" Behind Their Backs
Pelosi Criticizes Trump's COVID Rules but Visits a Forbidden Hair Salon Herself
[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The leaders of the opposing parties in the United States, who are like "견원지간" (dogs and wolves), have simultaneously been caught up in painful scandals. President Donald Trump is embroiled in controversy over derogatory remarks about war veterans, while Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat and Speaker of the House, has been put in a difficult position due to a hair salon scandal. Although the reasons differ, these incidents reveal the hidden sides of American politicians and are expected to have considerable impact on the upcoming presidential election landscape.
Trump, who claimed to support the military, makes derogatory remarks
On the 3rd (local time), the news magazine The Atlantic reported that when President Trump visited France in November 2018, he canceled a visit to a U.S. military cemetery for soldiers who died in World War I and referred to the fallen soldiers as "losers."
On Memorial Day in 2017, then-Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, a retired four-star general, was questioned by Trump about military service, saying, "I don't understand. What's so great about them?" This was said next to the grave of Kelly's son Robert, who died in Afghanistan in 2010 at the age of 29.
After the report, intense anger erupted among war veterans toward President Trump.
Retired Army Major General Paul Eaton posted a two-minute video on Twitter. He said, "I really don't like it, President Trump. You have shown countless disrespect to the military. You are not a patriot," adding, "We will all vote for the true patriot Joe Biden."
President Trump actively responded on Twitter that day, saying, "The Atlantic, like other dying magazines, fabricated fake news to get attention." Returning to the White House after a visit to Pennsylvania the night before, he also told reporters, "I swear I never said such things about fallen heroes," and strongly denied the allegations, saying, "No one respects them more than I do. It's terrible and horrible."
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is briefing with a video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting a hair salon in the background. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]
Trump's 'rival' Pelosi's image plummets due to hair salon scandal
This situation occurred amid a backlash against Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and Trump's political rival, for violating COVID-19 prevention rules by visiting a hair salon. Pelosi is well known for her hostile relationship with Trump, including tearing up his State of the Union speech earlier this year.
Trump and the Republican Party were fiercely attacking Pelosi for violating health guidelines by visiting the hair salon.
When Pelosi claimed it was a 'trap,' the salon owner directly refuted her, and some salon owners protested in front of Pelosi's residence.
Pelosi recently visited her regular hair salon in San Francisco, which was not allowed to operate under COVID-19 restrictions, without wearing a mask and received hair treatment. A video of her salon visit was released on the 1st, drawing criticism.
According to Fox News, Erika Kears, who runs 'E Salon' in San Francisco, said Pelosi's visit was not a 'trap' but an actual visit to her store, and she rebutted, "Pelosi is telling a complete lie."
The salon owner Kears stated, "We did not turn on the salon CCTV to create a trap, and the surveillance cameras have been installed in the salon for five years," adding, "Pelosi entered the salon without a mask, and I was heartbroken to see that."
She also said that after Pelosi's trap claim, she received hateful text messages threatening to burn down the salon and death threats, lost 60% of her customers, and might have to close the salon she has operated for 12 years.
Republican supporters created a GoFundMe account to help Kears' salon and raised $140,000 in two days.
In front of Pelosi's residence in Pacific Heights, San Francisco, about ten salon owners, wearing hair rollers and salon gowns, hung hair dryers on trees and criticized Pelosi's actions as "hypocritical."
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