In the latest episode of media vs. reality, The Atlantic and its editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg are under fire after running a report claiming that former President Donald Trump used a racial slur to describe slain Army private Vanessa Guillén and refused to pay for her funeral. The report, which has sparked outrage, particularly among the Guillén family, has been labeled as nothing short of “vile” by the late soldier’s sister, Mayra Guillén.
During an exclusive appearance on The Ingraham Angle, Mayra Guillén and the family’s lawyer, Natalie Khawam, didn’t hold back in condemning the article. Mayra Guillén called out Goldberg’s report for exploiting her sister’s tragic death to push a political narrative. She described the piece as “hurtful” and “a slap in the face” to her family, who had already endured so much. The article, which alleges that Trump called Vanessa a “f—ing Mexican” and refused to pay funeral expenses he had promised, has been firmly rebuked by the family and those close to the situation.
Khawam revealed that Goldberg had initially contacted her under the pretense of writing about the four-year anniversary of Vanessa’s death and the legislative changes that had been made in her honor. However, the article turned into what Khawam described as a “gotcha with Trump,” focusing instead on these alleged disparaging comments. Mayra confirmed that she felt misled by Goldberg, who never informed her that the story would take such a turn. Despite the family’s objections and requests to be left out of the piece, Goldberg published it anyway.
Both Guillén and Khawam took the time to blast the report on social media. Mayra tweeted, “Wow. I don’t appreciate how you are exploiting my sister’s death for politics—hurtful & disrespectful to the important changes she made for service members.” She also emphasized that Trump showed nothing but respect to her family, adding, “In fact, I voted for President Trump today.”
Mayra Guillen, sister of Vanessa Guillen, says disgraced hack @JeffreyGoldberg‘s decision to politicize her sister’s murder to falsely attack President Trump was “vile,” “a lie from the beginning,” and “a slap in the face to my family.” pic.twitter.com/9VmJ1NTB8Y
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 23, 2024
Goldberg, for his part, has not backed down, appearing on CNN to dismiss the family’s criticism, saying that Mayra Guillén and Natalie Khawam were not in the room when the alleged comments were made. He claimed that his sources—senior officials who were supposedly present—took contemporaneous notes backing his story. Yet, notable figures like Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, and Kash Patel, who were allegedly in the meeting, have flatly denied the accusations.
Wow.
I don’t appreciate how you are exploiting my sister’s death for politics- hurtful & disrespectful to the important changes she made for service members. President Donald Trump did nothing but show respect to my family & Vanessa. In fact, I voted for President Trump today. https://t.co/o8cDrKOKBV— Mayra Guillen (@mguilen_) October 22, 2024
This standup guy had the audacity to say it wasn’t about her sister—note the heavy sarcasm.
George Conway is now attacking a deceased woman’s sister because she had the audacity to push back on Jeffrey Goldberg’s unsourced claim.
It’s a choice, I guess. https://t.co/FDYlubfP50
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) October 24, 2024
She hit back even harder:
Is that why the @TheAtlantic is in your bio? https://t.co/w5VQcF8JUk
— Mayra Guillen (@mguilen_) October 24, 2024
Meadows took to X (formerly Twitter) to call the claims “absolutely false,” stating that Trump was nothing but kind and committed to ensuring the military honored Vanessa Guillén’s service. Williamson, Meadows’ spokesman, also slammed the piece, accusing Goldberg of distorting Meadows’ on-the-record denial.
Wow. The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg just shrugged off Mayra Guillen’s tweet at him saying he is exploiting her sister’s death for political gain.
“I don’t make much of [the denials] at all. The sister wasn’t in the meeting. The lawyer for the family wasn’t in the… pic.twitter.com/tTxg4Io4Ds
— Zeno Calhoun (@zenoc_oshits) October 23, 2024
It’s a messy situation, to say the least. On one side, you have the Guillén family—those directly affected by the tragedy—defending Trump and calling out The Atlantic for exploiting their loss. On the other, Goldberg insists on the accuracy of his story, even as key players from the meeting continue to refute it.