Rod Stewart brands Trump a ‘draft dodger’ after NATO troop remarks
Rod Stewart has slammed President Donald Trump’s false claims that Nato soldiers avoided the front lines in the war in Afghanistan.
Trump made his comments in an interview with Fox News in which he downplayed Nato’s contribution in Afghanistan, saying: “We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them. You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that. And they did — they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
The comments drew criticism from a range of European politicians, including Trump’s former Palm Beach neighbor, the British rock star Rod Stewart, 81.
The “Maggie May” rocker branded Trump a “draft dodger” for “criticizing our troops in Afghanistan for not being on the front line.”
He said in a video posted to Instagram: “I was born just after [World War II], and I’d like respect for our armed forces who fought and gave us our freedom, so it hurts me badly, deeply, that I read the draft dodger Trump is criticizing our troops in Afghanistan for not being on the front line.”
Stewart continued: “We lost over 400 of our guys. Think of their parents, think about it, when Trump calls them almost like cowards. It’s unbearable.”
“I may just be a humble rock star, I’m also a knight of the realm, and I have my opinions,” Stewart added, calling on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make “draft dodger Trump apologize.” The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
Stewart and Trump were reportedly good friends in previous years. In an interview with Radio Times, Stewart said he used to know Trump “very, very well,” and he would attend his Christmas parties, but they were no longer friends after he became president.
More than 1,100 non-US coalition fighters died in the conflict that began in 2001, according to veteran charity Help for Heroes. The overwhelming majority of those were from Nato countries, while more than 2,300 members of the US armed forces were killed.
Trump’s comments have also drawn ire from Prince Harry, a veteran who completed two frontline tours in Afghanistan, who responded to Trump’s comments on Friday evening, stating that the sacrifices of British soldiers “deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect.”
The president later backtracked on his comments after a phone call with Starmer, paying tribute to “the great and very brave soldiers of the United Kingdom” in a Truth Social post.
“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken,” he said.
“The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!). We love you all, and always will! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
