In searing new ad, father of Navy SEAL killed in Yemen accuses Trump of 'playing big man going to war'


A Gold Star father whose son was the first U.S. service member to die in combat under the Trump administration is urging people not to vote for President Trump this November, saying he cannot be trusted "with your kid's life or your own."
Bill Owens' son, Chief Petty Officer William "Ryan" Owens, was killed in January 2017, just days after Trump's inauguration. A 36-year-old married father of three, he was shot by al Qaeda militants during a raid in Yemen, a mission that later came under intense scrutiny.
In an ad for VoteVets released Thursday, Owens said Trump didn't order this raid "in the Situation Room with all the intelligence assembled, but sitting across a dinner table from Steve Bannon. There was no vital interest at play, just Donald Trump playing big man going to war." Since his son's death, Trump has "assailed our country's core values," Owens said, before accusing Trump of kneecapping the U.S. Postal Service to undermine voting and defending Russian President Vladimir Putin amid reports Russia put bounties on the heads of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Now, at least 180,000 people have died of coronavirus in the U.S., and Owens said that "200,000 Americans will have died before we vote. They and Ryan have one thing in common — it didn't have to be, but for Donald Trump. If you hear one thing, let it be this: Don't trust Donald Trump with your kid's life or your own." Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Musk vows DOGE pullback as Tesla profits plunge
Speed Read The Tesla SEO says he will soon step back from government matters to devote more time to the company
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
IMF sees slump from tariffs, Trump tries to calm markets
Speed Read The International Monetary Fund predicts the U.S. and global economies will slow significantly due to the president's trade war
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reports
Speed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group text
Speed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US