Former President Donald Trump's Memorial Day remarks were met with fierce backlash from a slew of journalists, legal and political experts Monday.
The MAGA leader's message — which was posted to Truth Social — included attacks on Judges Lewis Kaplan, who presided over two defamation cases against Trump from veteran writer E. Jean Carroll, and Arthur Engoron, who presided over the ex-president's New York civil fraud case. He also mentioned Judge Juan Merchan, who's presiding over Trump's hush money trial, which is expected to conclude this week.
The former president wrote:
Happy Memorial Day to All, including the Human Scum that is working so hard to destroy our Once Great Country, & to the Radical Left, Trump Hating Federal Judge in New York that presided over, get this, TWO separate trials, that awarded a woman, who I never met before (a quick handshake at a celebrityevent, 25 years ago, doesn't count!), 91 MILLION DOLLARS for 'DEFAMATION.' She didn't know when the so-called event took place - sometime in the 1990's - never filed a police report, didn't have to produce the 'dress' that she threatened me with (it showed negative!), & sung my praises in the first half of her CNN Interview with Alison Cooper, but changed her tune in the second half - Gee, I wonder why (UNDER APPEAL!)? The Rape charge was dropped by a jury! Or Arthur Engoron, the N.Y. State Wacko Judge who fined me almost 500 Million Dollars (UNDER APPEAL) for DOING NOTHING WRONG, used a Statute that has never been used before, gave me NO JURY, Mar-a-Lago at$18,000,000 - Now for Merchan!
READ MORE: Trump’s Truth Social is neither but it doesn’t matter
Veteran congressional reporter Jamie Dupree replied, "Memorial Day started after the Civil War, as a tradition to honor U.S. soldiers who died in military service."
Daily Beast columnist Barry Markson wrote: "Pres. Biden is laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier and this is Trump’s message. Not one mention of a fallen soldier who died for our country because Trump calls them losers. Just more grievance about him. Trump doesn’t care about you or the country."
KTLA journalist David Lazarus said: "The simple fact is that if we did away with the archaic Electoral College, a man like this would never again get within reach of the presidency."
Former chief White House ethics lawyer Richard W. Painter commented: "What a sad way to dishonor our nation’s fallen heroes."
Deadline.com DC correspondent Ted Johnson replied: "As Joe Biden visits Arlington for Memorial Day…"
READ MORE: Trump’s attacks 'finally have real consequences' as judge penalizes him beyond a fine
The Hill notes that Trump's "statement is a stark difference from President Biden, who gave a somber address at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday. Biden used the opportunity to remark on the death of his own son, Beau Biden, who died from brain cancer believed to be caused by exposure to toxic chemicals during his service in the Iraq War."