Arnold Wright, the father of Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright who was one of four soldiers killed in an attack in Niger on October 4, told CBS News on Wednesday that President Donald Trump was ‘real cordial’ during a condolence twenty minute long phone call Tuesday in which Wright says he did most of the talking.
Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright.
Wright’s characterization of Trump’s demeanor is in stark contrast to that of Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) about Trump’s call to the widow of another soldier killed in the Niger attack, Sgt. La David Johnson.
CBS News White House reporter Mark Knoller posted about Wright’s comments made to CBS Evening News associate producer Rebecca Kaplan.
Arnold Wright, father of Dustin Wright, US soldier killed in Niger, tells @RebeccaRKaplan, @POTUS “real cordial” in condolence call he recd.
Mr Wright said he did most of the talking. Told @POTUS son’s unit in Niger should have had air support: “he was not aware of that situation”
Arnold Wright, father of Dustin Wright, US soldier killed in Niger, tells @RebeccaRKaplan, @POTUS "real cordial" in condolence call he recd.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 18, 2017
Mr Wright said he did most of the talking. Told @POTUS son's unit in Niger should have had air support: "he was not aware of that situation"
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 18, 2017
The AP reported that Staff Sgt. Wright’s parents and brother also served in the Army.
UPDATE: CBS posted an article about Wright’s call from President Trump.
Excerpt:
Arnold Wright, father of Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, one of the four U.S. soldiers killed in Niger, told CBS News his recent phone call with President Trump went well. He talked with the president about his son and the need for air support in that region of the world.
Wright recalled his Tuesday afternoon conversation with the president, as Mr. Trump comes under fire for his conversation with the widow of another troop slain in Niger…
But Wright said Mr. Trump was cordial, and listened as he talked.
“He offered his condolences … and then I talked for probably, it was a 20-minute phone call, and I probably talked for 17 minutes of it,” Wright said.
“I talked about Dustin and I told him he needed to be aware that if he has teams in country they need air support…he was not aware of that situation,” Wright added.
Mr. Trump, according to Wright, said he would look into the issue of air support. Wright also said he told Mr. Trump about a colonel who told him his son had air support on hand.”…
