Sgt. La David Johnson was one of four men killed on October 4 2017 during service to his country in Niger, Africa.
He left behind his pregnant wife, Myesha, and two beautiful children.
As Myesha Johnson sat in the limousine the State had sent to pick her up, en route to the airfield where she would receive her husband’s body, she received a call.
It was from Donald Trump.
Listen: Mia Freedman and US Journalist Amelia Lester discuss Trump’s spat with Gold Star Families. Post continues after audio.
“He knew what he signed up for. But it hurts anyway.”
They’re the words Trump said to her, Myesha claimed on Good Morning America. They’re the words the President of the United States reportedly uttered to a widow, who had just found out her husband had been killed in action.
He knew what he signed up for.
Johnson, understandably, was upset. "It made me cry, because I was very angry at the tone of his voice," she later told ABC.
She went on.
"I heard him stumbling when trying to remember my husband's name... if my husband is out here fighting for our country and he risks his life for our country, why can't you remember his name?"
Any human being with the mildest hint of emotional intellect would, upon hearing this, apologise. They would offer an explanation or state their utter embarrassment at offending a war widow.
But Donald J. Trump has the emotional intellect of a turnip.
So he responded to Johnson, a grieving widow he had greatly offended, the only way he knows how...
I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and spoke his name from beginning, without hesitation!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2017
Essentially, he said: 'I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove I did it. So NUR.'
This is a response we would scold our young children for, let alone the world's most powerful leader.
Myesha Johnson. Even if the President's heart isn't with you, ours is. This is the public note you deserved from Trump, in place of a defensive Twitter stab.
My heart breaks for Mrs. Johnson and her two children. America's thoughts and prayers are with them, and with all the Gold Star Families who have lost a loved one or loved ones during service to their country. The sacrifice they have had to make is greater than any of us could understand.
If I inadvertently hurt her or upset her, I'm deeply sorry. She has the gratitude of the entire country, and we are forever grateful for the sacrifice her brave husband was forced to make.
You can listen to this week's full episode of Tell Me It's Going To Be OK below.