Last week, a widely reported article in the Atlantic said President Trump disparaged fallen service members as he wondered why he should visit a military cemetery “filled with losers” and calling more than 1,800 fallen Marines “suckers” for being killed. …
Some Americans were especially outraged by Trump’s alleged remarks for two reasons. First, the U.S. military has long been rated the country’s most trusted institution. … Second, the alleged remarks about missing and captured soldiers came up against what scholars call the “deservingness heuristic” — meaning that how people judge the reasons for an individual’s need for assistance will affect how they view the government’s obligation to help. CONT.
Danielle Gilbert (U.S. Air Force Academy) & Lauren Prather (UCSD), Monkey Cage