Daily US Times: On Monday, President Donald Trump launched an unprecedented public attack against the US military leadership, accusing them of waging wars to boost the profits of defense manufacturing companies.
Trump told reporters at a White House news conference: “I’m not saying the military’s in love with me — the soldiers are, the top people in the Pentagon probably aren’t because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.”
Trump’s extraordinary and unprecedented comments come as several defense officials openly said that relations between the President and Pentagon leadership are becoming increasingly strained.
They also followed efforts by President Trump to convince the public that he had not made a series of reported disparaging remarks about US military veterans and personnel, which were first reported by The Atlantic magazine.
A former senior administration official confirmed to CNN that Trump referred to fallen US service members at the Aisne-Marne cemetery in derogatory and crude terms during a November 2018 trip to France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Other outlets, including Fox News, Trump’s most favourite channel, have confirmed much of The Atlantic’s reporting, which Trump and the White House vehemently deny.
Some have expressed concern that Mr Trump’s Monday accusations against the military’s top brass could have a corrosive effect.
Retired US Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby said: “The President’s comments about the motivations of military leaders not only demeans their service and that of those they lead; he lends credence to the very disdain and thoughtlessness he tries to deny.”
The Pentagon did not respond about the matter yet.
While Trump has publicly disparaged the service of several high-profile veterans such as his former Secretary of Defense, retired Gen. Jim Mattis and the late Sen. John McCain, Monday’s broadside was on a new level targeting leaders he appointed to carry out his orders.
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