Donald Trump told the pregnant widow of a US soldier killed in combat that her husband "knew what he signed up for" moments before she greeted his coffin.
Lance Sergeant David Johnson, 25, was among four elite special forces killed when their patrol was ambushed by Islamic militants in Niger.
The US President has been criticised for failing to speak about the incident, amid increasing reports that the mission was flawed.
Trump failed to meet Sgt Johnson's coffin when it first arrived back on American soil on Saturday and went golfing instead.
And to add further insult, when he finally called the soldier's widow Myeshia Johnson on Tuesday he showed a distinct lack of compassion.
Instead Trump told her: "He knew what he signed up for... but when it happens it hurts anyway".
Minutes later, Mrs Johnson, who is expecting the couple's third child in January, wept uncontrollably over her husband's coffin at Miami Airport.
Her six-year-old daughter stood by her stoically in highly emotional scenes.
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