WATCH: Trump's phone call with the widow of fallen Special Forces soldier

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WATCH: Trump's phone call with the widow of fallen Special Forces soldier

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donald trump phone

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

President Donald Trump.

  • A widow of a Special Forces soldier shared footage of a phone call between her family and President Donald Trump.
  • Trump and the widow spoke for several minutes, talking about the fallen soldier's traits.
  • The footage comes amid controversy surrounding Trump's claims about phone calls to Gold Star families, many of them disputing some of his statements.

 

The widow of a Green Beret shared a touching phone call between her family and President Donald Trump that took place in April, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

Natasha De Alencar, the wife of Staff Sgt. Mark De Alencar of the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), was returning home from making t-shirts and pillowcases in memory of her husband when she was informed by a casualty assistance officer that Trump was on the phone for her, The Post said.

The phone call was made four days after her husband was killed, and was recorded by one of her five children.

"I am so sorry to hear about the whole situation," Trump was heard saying. "What a horrible thing ... except that he's an unbelievable hero, and you know all of the people that served with him are saying how incredible he was and just an amazing guy."

"I wanted to call you ... he's a great hero."

"I want to thank you, President Trump. Those words are very kind. He was an amazing man, an amazing husband, and an amazing soldier. I couldn't be more proud of my husband than I am right now, sir.

Mark R. de Alencar

US Army

US Army Staff Sgt. Mark R. De Alencar.

Trump then told Natasha of the praise De Alencar received from his comrades: "Everyone tells me how great, I mean he's like, he was the leader, he was the boss, he was their friend. They all loved him. You know, just like you do."

"I really appreciate it," Natasha said. "I really do, sir. Thank you."

Trump and Natasha then talked about her children and their talents before ending the call.

"You just take care of yourself and come around and see me when you're in Washington, and say hello to your children and tell them their father was a great hero that I respected," Trump said. "I learned a lot before I made the call. I like to learn and it's amazing what kind of a guy he was."

"So just tell them I said, 'Your father was a great hero,'" Trump continued. "And take care of yourself, Natasha. I'm honored to talk to you."

Natasha told The Post the conversation was "a moment of niceness that we needed because we were going through hell."

De Alencar was killed in Afghanistan during a firefight while conducting counter-ISIS operations, the Military Times reported.

The subject of presidential phone calls to Gold Star families became a subject of controversy this week, following Trump's statement that many previous presidents had not contacted the families of fallen service members. Critics further railed against Trump and accused him of making "insensitive" remarks during a phone call to the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, one of the four soldiers killed in a recent ambush in Niger.

White House chief of staff John Kelly attempted to deflect some of the criticisms during a press conference on Thursday and accused Rep. Frederica Wilson of Florida, the congresswoman who represented Johnson, of politicizing the issue. Wilson was reportedly present during the time Trump had spoken with Johnson's widow.

"It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in to that conversation," Kelly said. "Absolutely stuns me. And I thought at least that was sacred."

Following the controversy, several Gold Star families have come forward in disputing Trump's claims, including one that alleged Trump promised them a $25,000 personal check from his personal fortune that never arrived. The White House, however, claims that the check is in the mail. 

Watch the footage of the phone call here: