--- title: Donald Trump PTSD Remarks: Joe Biden Defends Veterans description: Vice President Joe Biden defended veterans during an impassioned speech after Donald Trump’s comments about soldiers who suffer from PTSD. canonical: https://time.com/4517820/joe-biden-veterans-donald-trump-ptsd/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-04T13:42:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:44:48.890Z article:section: Politics og:title: Joe Biden Defends Veterans After Donald Trump’s PTSD Remarks og:description: Many critics think Trump said soldiers who can’t handle PTSD are weak og:url: https://time.com/4517820/joe-biden-veterans-donald-trump-ptsd/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0aea3694c4fe2174/6988a89597cdff122b6ae05a/joe-biden-vets-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: 19th Annual HRC National Dinner og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Joe Biden Defends Veterans After Donald Trump’s PTSD Remarks twitter:description: Many critics think Trump said soldiers who can’t handle PTSD are weak twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0aea3694c4fe2174/6988a89597cdff122b6ae05a/joe-biden-vets-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Joe Biden Defends Veterans After Donald Trump’s PTSD Remarks > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1bb49d00-21de-49ec-96fa-687993bf1bf4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1bb49d00-21de-49ec-96fa-687993bf1bf4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=1bb49d00-21de-49ec-96fa-687993bf1bf4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1bb49d00-21de-49ec-96fa-687993bf1bf4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Oct 4, 2016 1:42 PM UTC  Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the 19th Annual HRC National Dinner at Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Oct. 3, 2015 in Washington, DC. Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the 19th Annual HRC National Dinner at Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Oct. 3, 2015 in Washington, DC. Leigh Vogel—Getty Images  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Oct 4, 2016 1:42 PM UTC Vice President Joe Biden defended veterans during an [impassioned speech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS0nZt1Rtps) Monday after Donald Trump’s comments about soldiers who suffer from PTSD. The Republican presidential nominee [was addressing PTSD](http://time.com/4517279/trump-veterans-ptsd-transcript/) and suicides among those returning home from war before a veterans group in Virginia when he said those in the room were “strong” and could “handle” the horrors of war. However, “a lot of people can’t handle it,” Trump added. Many took his phrasing to mean soldiers who can’t handle PTSD are weak. Biden, who said he has been “in and out” of Afghanistan and Iraq more than 29 times, said Trump was not intentionally trying to offend but that the real estate mogul “doesn’t get it,” according to [_The Hill_](http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/299069-biden-trump-thoroughly-completely-uninformed-on-veterans). “I don’t think he was trying to be mean. He is just so thoroughly, completely uninformed,” Biden said. “We only have one sacred obligation,” the vice president added, “to care for those we send to war and to care for them and their families when they come home.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4517820/joe-biden-veterans-donald-trump-ptsd/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4517820/joe-biden-veterans-donald-trump-ptsd/"},"headline":"Joe Biden Defends Veterans After Donald Trump’s PTSD Remarks","datePublished":"2016-10-04T13:42:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:44:48.890Z","description":"\"He is just so thoroughly, completely uninformed\"","url":"https://time.com/4517820/joe-biden-veterans-donald-trump-ptsd/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0aea3694c4fe2174/6988a89597cdff122b6ae05a/joe-biden-vets-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0aea3694c4fe2174/6988a89597cdff122b6ae05a/joe-biden-vets-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"19th Annual HRC National Dinner","caption":"Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the 19th Annual HRC National Dinner at Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Oct. 3, 2015 in Washington, DC.","creditText":"Leigh Vogel—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4517820/joe-biden-veterans-donald-trump-ptsd/","name":"Joe Biden Defends Veterans After Donald Trump’s PTSD Remarks"}}]}] ```