The wounded veteran whose likeness is being coopted throughout social media platforms to enforce a narrative about President Trump’s distaste for veterans is untrue and created by Democrats for a political upper-hand, according to Fox News,
“I’m just so irritated that they put my image up there because now it looks like the president called me a loser,” Bobby Henline, who is a four-tour Iraq War veteran, said to Fox News addressing the remarks supposedly made by Trump on the subject of wounded veterans. “And they’re using that to sell something that they believe in for their agenda. It’s not fair to put [veterans] as props in the middle of all that.”
The Atlantic printed a story last week claiming anonymous sources said the president had made contemptuous comments about wounded U.S. soldiers and veterans, allegedly saying they are “suckers” and “losers” back in 2018.
Henline is the only survivor of five soldiers caught in an IED blast during a tour in Iraq. The wounded veteran has spent his post-military life as a motivational speaker and comedian discussing the day-to-day issues veterans deal with. Last week he was made aware that his highly distinct and recognizable image was being utilized to smear President Trump in left-wing memes shared by progressive social=media accounts. He quickly responded on his Instagram page to condemn people using his likeness to spread what he called “propaganda.”
Henline never made a statement on The Atlantic story or Trump’s supposed comments about veterans, and he was irritated that he was being used as a “prop” to support the Democrat party in attacking President Trump to bolster their candidate for president, Joe Biden.
“Go on what you have with facts,” Henline said to Fox. “If you don’t have the power to win on your own merits, that you have to tear down your opponent, there is a problem there.”
The Atlantic article caused a firestorm this week, claiming four anonymous sources had direct knowledge of a conversation in which Trump made the offensive comments about vets. Since the story ran, several witnesses who said they were in the room for the duration of the exchange, including former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who has a checkered history with the president, have come forward to refute that Trump ever made those disparaging comments. Henline also said he feels the story rings false.
“I really believe the president didn’t say this,” Henline told Fox. “There’s been anonymous sources and other sources in the room that aren’t necessarily friends with the president or believe in his ways, but they’re still not gonna slam him and make up this rumor and keep it spreading. And so with that said, I don’t think he really said this.”
Many people online expressed distrust in the authenticity of the story; however, Henline remarked it accomplished its goal to flip some veterans against the Republican president.
“Them taking that well-recognized photo and using it for their agenda and changing veterans’ minds, thinking the president talks to them like that is ridiculous,” Henline said. “And I believe it worked. And that’s why I want to get it taken down because it shouldn’t be working. People need to hear the truth. That’s my image. And it should not be up there speaking for me,”
The war hero turned standup comedian made it a mission to call out the accounts that posted the memes using his picture to smear the president, and while some were removed, others continue to be posted.