Melania Trump on Friday defended her husband against allegations that he referred to US Marines buried in a WWI cemetery in France as "losers" and "suckers."

In a rare public statement, the US first lady rejected as "not true" the accusations made in an article published in The Atlantic magazine.

"It has become a very dangerous time when anonymous sources are believed above all else, & no one knows their motivation. This is not journalism -- It is activism. And it is a disservice to the people of our great nation," she tweeted.

On Thursday The Atlantic reported -- citing four anonymous sources who said they had firsthand knowledge of the discussions -- that President Donald Trump had referred to US Marines buried in a World War I cemetery in France as "losers" and "suckers" for getting killed in action.

In a rare public statement, US first lady Melania Trump said the allegations about her husband published by The Atlantic magazine -- that he called fallen US Marines "losers" and "suckers" -- were false
In a rare public statement, US first lady Melania Trump said the allegations about her husband published by The Atlantic magazine -- that he called fallen US Marines "losers" and "suckers" -- were false AFP / SAUL LOEB

When visiting France in November 2018 for the centenary of the end of the Great War, Trump did not visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris as originally planned -- officially because bad weather grounded his helicopter.

But the magazine disputed that version of events.

The backlash was swift, and Trump sent a barrage of tweets to defend himself.

"The Atlantic magazine is dying, like most magazines, so they make up a fake story in order to gain some relevance," wrote the president, who went on to assail the report as "a disgrace" in a briefing to White House reporters.

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