President Donald Trump delivered a remarkable speech to military generals and admirals in Quantico, Virginia, that critics fear was an attempt to recruit the armed forces to his political cause. This event follows a rebuke from a federal judge who, in a shocking footnote, revealed that a top Department of Homeland Security official, Gregory Bovino, had questioned the loyalty of National Guard Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman for privately objecting to a show of force in Los Angeles. Sherman is an Iraq veteran with 30 years of service.
The scene epitomized the political pressure military leaders face as Trump continues to deploy the military on U.S. soil and even suggested that American cities could be used as a “training ground.” A New York Times-Siena College poll released on Tuesday showed that more registered voters feared Trump using troops to intimidate his political opponents than they feared crime spiraling out of control.
A Push for a Domestic Crackdown
In his lengthy and often-rambling speech, Trump delivered many lines that would have been more appropriate for a campaign rally. He made autopen references, spoke of his over-exaggerated claims of ending wars, and repeatedly attacked Democrats. Most significantly, Trump appeared to try and recruit the military leaders to his domestic crackdown, trying to pit them against Democrats, academia, and the media. “We’re under invasion from within,” Trump said. “No different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways because they don’t wear uniforms.” He added, “In our inner cities—which we’re going to be talking about because it’s a big part of war now. It’s a big part of war.” Trump also said, “I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military—National Guard, but military. Because we’re going into Chicago very soon.”
He repeatedly tried to get the silent military officials more involved. At one point, he asked them if they were okay with his “they spit, we hit” posture toward protesters, and at another, he asked them to raise their hands if they thought Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine was “no good.”
A Degradation of the Military’s Role
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also delivered a highly political speech, deriding the military’s supposed “woke”-ness and targeting transgender people. He tried to divide military leaders from what he cast as left-leaning institutions, telling them, “The Ivy League faculty lounges will never understand us, and that’s OK because they could never do what you do. The media will mischaracterize us, and that’s OK because deep down they know the reason they can do what they do is you.”
Trump similarly sought to pit the generals and admirals against Democrats. “They did not treat you with respect,” Trump said. “They’re Democrats. They never do.” The speech was a remarkable degradation of the lines between the military and politics and was an ominous case-in-point for those who fear Trump’s attempts to politicize the military and what that could portend.
What The Author Thinks
Trump’s speech in Quantico represents a dangerous moment in the relationship between the military and civilian government. By using a formal military gathering to advance a political agenda, the president is actively working to undermine the nonpartisan nature of the armed forces. This attempt to recruit military leaders to a domestic “war” is a significant step towards the politicization of the military, a path that many, including top former military officials from Trump’s first term, believe is a threat to the constitutional order and the very fabric of American democracy. This is a moment that demands a firm and public defense of the military’s role in a free society, a defense that seems to be in short supply.
Featured image credit: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff via Flickr
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