Donald Trump Jr. mocked the United States European Military Command’s response to a Russian fighter jet’s aggressive attack on a U.S. drone over the Baltic sea.
Trump Jr. singled out the use of the phrase “environmentally unsound” to criticize the U.S. Military Command’s official statement in response to the encounter, in which a Russian aircraft reportedly dropped fuel on a U.S. MQ-9 drone and then collided with it, downing it in the sea.
“Environmentally unsound. That’s what they’re worried about. Not the start of WWIII,” Trump Jr. wrote on Twitter.
The US Air Force issued a statement accusing the Russian aircraft of acting in a “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner.”
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 14, 2023
Environmentally unsound. That’s what they’re worried about. Not the start of WWIII.
Trump was right again!
https://t.co/LxJAP5JgbM
The former president’s son specifically references the following statement, issued by United States European Military Command: “Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner. This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional.”
The article Trump Jr. shares with his commentary is from CNN, a frequent target of the Trump camp. But the words Trump Jr. mocks are taken verbatim from the United States European Military Command statement. The words are quoted directly, and are not part of either the liberal or conservative media’s framing of the incident.
Conservative media outlets like Fox News, covering the incident, reported the same language from the same official U.S military statement.
“Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9,” Gen. James B. Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, said in a separate Defense Department statement.
[Note: The U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) is responsible for U.S. military operations across Europe, portions of Asia and the Middle East, the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean. USEUCOM is comprised of more than 64,000 military and civilian personnel and works closely with NATO Allies and partners.]
