### Trump Faces Criticism Over Comments on 2020 Missile Attack Injuries

Donald Trump is facing significant backlash for remarks he made downplaying the traumatic brain injuries sustained by 109 U.S. service members following an Iranian missile attack in 2020. The controversial comments came during a campaign press event when Trump was questioned about whether he should have taken a firmer stance against Iran during his presidency.

"First of all, injured, what does injured mean?" Trump said in response to a reporter. "You mean because they had a headache? Because the bombs never hit the fort."

On January 8, 2020, more than a dozen missiles targeted the al-Asad Air Base in Iraq. While no U.S. service members were killed, around 109 were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries, with 29 of these soldiers receiving Purple Hearts.

At the time, Trump downplayed the impact of the attack by tweeting "All is well!" despite advice from his officials to avoid making such statements. Alyssa Farah Griffin, who was the Pentagon spokesperson during the Trump administration, confirmed on platform X that the Department of Defense had advised caution, noting that initial assessments are often inaccurate. The severity of the injuries later came to light, but Trump repeated his dismissal of the injuries, saying "nobody was ever tougher on Iraq" than him, potentially confusing Iraq with Iran.

Lawmakers and veterans were quick to condemn Trump's remarks. Arizona Senator and Navy veteran Mark Kelly criticized Trump, saying, "This is who Donald Trump is: A man who called fallen American soldiers 'suckers' and 'losers.' A man who just dismissed the sacrifice of service members injured while he was Commander in Chief. A man who should never have that responsibility again."

Tim Walz, the Democratic candidate and Army veteran, also weighed in during the vice presidential debate, stating, "When Iranian missiles did fall near U.S. troops, and they received traumatic brain injuries, Donald Trump wrote it off as headaches." Similarly, Amy McGrath, a former Kentucky congressional candidate and Marine Corps veteran, highlighted Trump's criticism of Vice President Harris while reminding the public that Trump had merely tweeted in response to a 2019 incident where Iran shot down a U.S. drone.

Veterans for Harris called Trump's latest remarks "one of the most vile comments Trump has ever made."

The Independent has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.