Donald Trump was over the weekend engaged in a frantic effort to shore up his standing within the military class and its allies in the immediate aftermath of yet another reckless statement that has verily denigrated the fallen heroes of World War I.

That recklessness is now manifest barely two months before the presidential election on 3 November. Though the US President has advanced a feeble denial of an ugly truth, he has not exactly rebutted his reference to American soldiers killed in combat during the war (1914-18) as “losers” and “suckers”. He has asked, “What animal would say that?”

The report in the ***The Atlantic*** by its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, answers the question in a way that makes things awkward for Mr. Trump not the least because he is dependent on the robust support of the military in his re-election bid. The perception, articulated as he goes through the twilight phase of his presidency, has caused a flutter in the roost.

The likes of Joe Biden and Nancy Powell must be enjoying a quiet chuckle. To an extent, Mr. Trump had till very recently won the backing of the military through increased spending and pay raises for troops. These have been the pillars of his campaign. At another remove, he has ratcheted down the “endless wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Not that all his policies have generally suited the military. He has on occasion clashed with generals by extending clemency to the accused. He has also ordered “active-duty forces” in Washington to crack down on demonstrations. More accurately, he has tried to use the military on perceived internal security duties.

Fairly recently, especially after the brutal killing of George Floyd, the President tried to thwart an effort to change the names of army bases named for Confederate generals.

Small wonder that the rank and file of the military, the bedrock of America’s security worldwide, is deeply upset over his denigration of the “fallen heroes” of the First World War.Small wonder too that a recent opinion poll, prior to the Democrat and Republican conventions, showed Joe Biden had surpassed Trump with 41 per cent to 37 per cent among active duty troops.

The ratio is a stark departure from the military’s long-standing support for Republicans. People familiar with the President’s impetuous utterances contend that he has almost always scorned those who served in Vietnam as being “too dumb to have gotten out of it”. He could even marvel at people choosing military service over making money.

Markedly, Mr. Biden has sought to capitalise on the ***Atlantic*** article by debunking the President and saying that he is not fit for the office. The comment on the troops shows “how deeply Trump and I disagree about the role of the President”. In the fountain-head of democracy, it will be over to the people as November 2020 unfolds.