Trump Reportedly Raged Over The Price Of An Army Private’s Funeral Bill & Used Slur To Describe Her

Former President Donald Trump reportedly had an outburst over the price of Army Private Vanessa Guillén’s funeral bill in December 2020.

Guillén was bludgeoned to death by a fellow soldier in April 2020 at Fort Hood, Texas. With the help of his girlfriend, the killer burned the private’s body. Soon, Guillén’s murder sparked outrage across Texas and beyond. Her remains were found two months later, buried in a riverbank next to the base, following a massive search.

Shortly after her remains were found, Trump invited the Guillén family to the White House. He spent 25 minutes with the family while television cameras recorded the scene.

In the meeting, Trump offered sympathy to Guillén’s mother. “I saw what happened to your daughter Vanessa, who was a spectacular person, and respected and loved by everybody, including in the military,” the former president stated. 

“If I can help you out with the funeral, I’ll help – I’ll help you with that,” he promised later in the meeting. “I’ll help you out. Financially, I’ll help you.”

“I think the military will be paying – taking care of it,” Natalie Khawam, the family’s attorney, replied.

“Good,” Trump responded. “They’ll do a military. That’s good. If you need help, I’ll help you out.” 

Two weeks after the meeting, a public memorial service was held in Guillén’s hometown of Houston. It was preceded by a private funeral and burial in a nearby cemetery, attended by, among others, the city’s mayor and police chief. 

A new report published in The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg revealed that months later, Trump asked: “Did they bill us for the funeral? What did it cost?”

According to attendees and simultaneous notes of the meeting taken by a participant, an aide said they received a bill and that the funeral cost $60,000.

“It doesn’t cost 60,000 bucks to bury a f—ing Mexican,” the former president stated angrily. 

He ordered chief of staff, Mark Meadows, not to pay the bill.

“Can you believe it,” he asked, according to a witness. “F—ing people, trying to rip me off.”

Khawam told Goldberg that she sent the bill to the White House, but Trump had never given the family any money. 

The attorney noted that the Army covered some expenses, which she said offered to let Guillén be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and donations had covered others. 

Eventually, the late private was buried in Houston.

Shortly after Goldberg emailed many questions to Trump spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer, he received an email from Khawam, who asked him to publish a statement from Mayra Guillén, the victim’s sister. 

Pfeiffer then emailed him this statement. 

“I am beyond grateful for all the support President Donald Trump showed our family during a trying time,” the statement mentions. “I witnessed firsthand how President Trump honors our nation’s heroes’ service. We are grateful for everything he has done and continues to do to support our troops.”

Pfeiffer followed up with an additional statement.

“President Donald Trump never said that,” the spokesperson said about the “f–king Mexican” comment. “This is an outrageous lie from The Atlantic two weeks before the election.”