US President Donald Trump was on the defensive on Sunday over what critics said was a “pattern” of disrespect towards the US military following media reports that he had disparaged fallen veterans, the fallout from which could harm his campaign for re-election on Nov 3.

Democratic and Republican opponents alike over the weekend seized on the reports - which said that Trump had called US soldiers buried in Europe “losers” - to attack his record on the military on news shows and in political ads.