--- title: Donald Trump Denies Account of Talk With Military Widow description: President Trump pushed back against reports that he told the widow of a slain American solider he "knew what he signed up for." canonical: https://time.com/4987094/donald-trump-david-johnson-james-comey/ author: Dan Hirschhorn article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-10-18T12:18:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T11:19:26.739Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Denies Telling Widow of Slain Soldier That He 'Knew What He Signed Up for' og:description: "Totally fabricated," the President said og:url: https://time.com/4987094/donald-trump-david-johnson-james-comey/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9cde3eb41d0c285/6988e27c096a94470e6a0123/president-donald-trump1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4708 og:image:height: 2648 og:image:alt: President Donald Trump Speaks At Heritage Foundation Meeting og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Denies Telling Widow of Slain Soldier That He 'Knew What He Signed Up for' twitter:description: "Totally fabricated," the President said twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9cde3eb41d0c285/6988e27c096a94470e6a0123/president-donald-trump1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Totally Fabricated.' Trump Denies Telling Widow of Slain Soldier That He 'Knew What He Signed Up for' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 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. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times 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. by [Dan Hirschhorn](https://time.com/author/dan-hirschhorn/) ## Dan Hirschhorn Oct 18, 2017 12:18 PM UTC  President Donald Trump speaks during the Heritage Foundation's President's Club meeting on Oct. 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump speaks during the Heritage Foundation's President's Club meeting on Oct. 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Martin H. Simon—Pool/Getty Images by [Dan Hirschhorn](https://time.com/author/dan-hirschhorn/) ## Dan Hirschhorn Oct 18, 2017 12:18 PM UTC President Donald Trump pushed back early Wednesday morning against reports that [he told the widow of a slain American solider that her husband “knew what he signed up for,”](http://time.com/4987048/trump-soldier-widow-la-david-johnson/) dismissing a Democratic lawmaker’s account of the phone call as “totally fabricated.” “Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof),” Trump said on Twitter. “Sad!” Trump was referring to Florida Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson, who said Tuesday that she was in a car with Myeshia Johnson, on her way to receive the body of Johnson’s husband, Sgt. La David Johnson, when the President called. Wilson, who said she heard part of the conversation between Johnson and Trump on speakerphone, told the local news outlet WPLG: “Yeah, he said that. To me, that is something that you can say in a conversation, but you shouldn’t say that to a grieving widow. … That’s so insensitive.” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/920611770775064576) Trump has suggested in other situations that he has proof to support his account of conversations, only to back down later. Wilson stood by her story in a Twitter post shortly after Trump’s denial. > [](https://twitter.com/RepWilson/status/920643495953649665) Trump has been under fire this week for his handling of [the death of four American soldiers in Niger](http://time.com/4986918/us-military-niger-soldier-deaths-investigaton/?xid=homepage), criticism that escalated when he [falsely claimed](http://time.com/4984599/donald-trump-barack-obama-soldiers-families/?xid=homepage) that President Barack Obama didn’t call the families of slain soldiers when he was in office. The President also took aim Wednesday morning at the FBI’s disclosure this week that former FBI Director James Comey [had begun drafting a letter](https://vault.fbi.gov/drafts-of-director-comeys-july-5-2016-statement-regarding-email-server-investigation/Drafts%20of%20Director%20Comeys%20July%205%2C%202016%20Statement%20Regarding%20Email%20Server%20Investigation%20Part%2001%20of%2001/view) exonerating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server before agents had interviewed her. > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/920595564064100352) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/920597192666157057) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/920604520572424193) Trump fired Comey earlier this year. At the time, he cited Comey’s handling of the Clinton investigation during the 2016 election, but he later acknowledged he did it at least partly because of the investigation into whether any of his associates colluded with Russia to influence the election. His firing of Comey led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, who is now reportedly investigating whether Trump’s firing of Comey amounted to obstruction of justice. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4987094/donald-trump-david-johnson-james-comey/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4987094/donald-trump-david-johnson-james-comey/"},"headline":"'Totally Fabricated.' 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