Trump’s Disdain for the Military
With a guest appearance by Hitler.
Apropos of recent discussion comes this piece by Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic: Trump: ‘I Need The Kind of Generals That Hitler Had’.
The article is a recount of Trump’s disdain for the military as an institution and his utter disrespect for service. Note, however, that he loves the idea of the martial trappings of the military, and the idea of loyal generals (well, loyal to him, not, you know, to the country or the constitution).
As his presidency drew to a close, and in the years since, he has become more and more interested in the advantages of dictatorship, and the absolute control over the military that he believes it would deliver. “I need the kind of generals that Hitler had,” Trump said in a private conversation in the White House, according to two people who heard him say this. “People who were totally loyal to him, that follow orders.”
And there is this, which has been reported before:
In their book, The Divider: Trump in the White House, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser reported that Trump asked John Kelly, his chief of staff at the time, “Why can’t you be like the German generals?” Trump, at various points, had grown frustrated with military officials he deemed disloyal and disobedient. (Throughout the course of his presidency, Trump referred to flag officers as “my generals.”) According to Baker and Glasser, Kelly explained to Trump that German generals “tried to kill Hitler three times and almost pulled it off.” This correction did not move Trump to reconsider his view: “No, no, no, they were totally loyal to him,” the president responded.
This week, I asked Kelly about their exchange. He told me that when Trump raised the subject of “German generals,” Kelly responded by asking, “‘Do you mean Bismarck’s generals?’” He went on: “I mean, I knew he didn’t know who Bismarck was, or about the Franco-Prussian War. I said, ‘Do you mean the kaiser’s generals? Surely you can’t mean Hitler’s generals? And he said, ‘Yeah, yeah, Hitler’s generals.’ I explained to him that Rommel had to commit suicide after taking part in a plot against Hitler.” Kelly told me Trump was not acquainted with Rommel.
But, I’m sure none of this matters and is in no way relevant to how Trump will govern should he win. I am sure, at a minimum, someone will be happy to suggest Harris is just as bad (or something).
Perhaps someone can tell me why we should ignore Kelly (along with Milley and countless others)?
I am guessing that they are just disgruntled RINOs.
I mean, really, this is all just a game and all that matters is what colors your teams is wearing, right?
At any rate, I recommend reading the whole thing.
Whether it is the military, the government or the economy, it’s clear that Trump is clueless and proudly ignorant. He doesn’t understand how tariffs work, he thinks the DOJ is the president’s personal law firm, and he looks at the military as a collection of “losers and suckers” who fail to grasp and abide by his guiding creed: What’s in it for me?” The fact that he hasn’t been laughed off the national stage is an indictment of the media and the leadership – such as it is – of the GOP.
Would it be rude to point out that Hitler’s generals lost a world war?
…all of Trump’s baggage… deficiencies… flaws… licentiousness… and yet we still are faced with the prospect that too many of our citizens are willing to inflict him upon the rest of us, to our detriment, and shade the goodness that has been seen through the flickering light of our democratic-republic. God save the United States of America.
@Scott:
It would be misleading considering all the disasters caused by Hitler overruling them, and also political errors like Barbarossa and declaring war against the U.S.
All wars include good generals and bad generals on both sides (in terms of battlefield tactics or strategic advocacy).
@TheRyGuy: Again: no positive defense.
@TheRyGuy:
You, TheRyGuy, are lying, and a distraction. You seem like an example of the error of taking the right-wing noise delivery system seriously,
@Scott:
And a number plotted to assassinate him.
Well, RyGuy, why do you continue to hang around here, commenting on almost every thread, if that’s how you feel?
@charontwo: @Sleeping Dog: Details. Details.
@Not the IT Dept.:
Because, predictably, commenters here go after the chum that RyGuy et al. throw into the waters, instead of engaging with the original post.
@TheRyGuy:
Putin is salivating at the prospect of a Trump win. The entire Russian media calls Trump, ‘their guy.’ You know that’s true. You don’t care, because, like Trump, you are no patriot.
No one here believes you.
My question is this: When Trump ends sanctions on Russia and betrays Ukraine for Putin, what are you changing your screen name to? Because we all know you won’t have the guts to own it.
@Not the IT Dept.:
Like Jack and JKB and the others they are desperate to belong. They want to sit at the cool kids table. And they think if Trump wins they will somehow become something other than liars and cult creeps.
@TheRyGuy:
Wir müssen die Meckerer ausrotten unverzüglich!
@Michael Reynolds: One hardly even needs to consult the Russian media, when one has Trump making himself statements blaming Zelensky for the war (as additional to his [Trump] long track record of Putin-Positive statements).
The idea that the KGB-rooted-ex-officer Putin is anything but a threat to the USA not a friend and that sidling up to him is anything but demonstrating said person doing the sidling, the praising is a Manchurian candidate…
The risible idea that the entire passel of Trump’s former chiefs of staffs, Defence secreteries are all ” lying” about Trump is worthy of old school Pravda in the contortions. There is a level of pathetic that if it were not quite so serious would be quite amusing.
@TheRyGuy:
So, your dismissal of this is based on an assumption that Kelly is lying?
Do you have any evidence for this, or just assuming anyone saying anything detrimental about Trump must be lying?
“according to two people who heard him say this.” Who are these two people.
@Michael Reynolds:
Staying on topic with Russia Putin Russia Putin Russia Putin Russia Putin.
@Lounsbury:
Indeed.
@Paul L.: Where’s the positive defense of Trump?
I admire some German generals. Eisenhauer and Nimitz are my guys. Graf von Stauffenberg also comes to mind.
@Michael Reynolds: @Lounsbury: @Paul L.: Given that both Trump’s foreign born wives, Ivana and Melania, have fathers who are rumored to be connected to Russian intelligence services, shouldn’t inquiring minds wonder if Melania married Trump to be his handler for the FSB? Shouldn’t we take a page out of the Trump accusations handbook and demand answers? You know, good for the goose, etc…
So on the one hand, we have a piece over the author’s real name, published in a mainstream article, which cites sources, and offers rebuttals.
On the other hand, we have an anonymous guy who has only showed up around her this election season, claiming it’s all lies, but with no supporting evidence, and as Steven (another person using their real name) points out, no affirmative defense.
Hmm, what’s more credible?
AND, said guy never tells us what’s good about Trump. Only that we are terrible and liars and out of touch. They have never told us what they hope to see from a Trump presidency, or what they were happy to see from the last Trump presidency.
Whereas the real-life conservatives I talk to will tell me that.
The Hunter Biden laptop story couldn’t be repeated by any major outlet because it hadn’t been independently verified. This Atlantic piece can be repeated by everyone. Weird how that works.
John Kelly was so shocked by these comments that he forgot about it for four years and then conveniently decided to tell the press about it two weeks before an election that Kamala is losing.
In WWII the German generals were generally quite competent. In the end they played a losing hand well. But they were in a system that did not allow them to question the Fuhrer. One notorious example being the long delay in dispatching the Panzer reserves on D Day because nobody would wake up the Fuhrer for approval. And that is what Trump wants in “his generals”.
@Paul L.:
I seem to recall hearing this story years ago. I suspect it’s more a function of the supposedly liberal MSM finally pushing it. But if, in fact, Kelly is only now pushing it out of fear of a Trump victory, what does that change?
@TheRyGuy:
To paraphrase Donald Trump, ‘people are saying,’ in fact ‘many people are saying.’
So actual taped recordings, and by now, hundreds of first person accounts of what Trump actually did and said do not matter to you at all? I’m shocked.
@gVOR10:
Significant segments have been reported before. The interview is new.
As you note, he is trying to warn people. And yet, many do not want to listen.
If you admire nazis, you are a nazi.
@Paul L.:
I can feel the depression oozing from your posts because it is beyond clear that you are so depressed that Hunter Biden’s Laptop did not turn into the equivalent of the Hillary Clinton e-mail story.
Don’t worry, you can finally stop trying to make Fetch happen in 2 weeks, your guy will either win or be a has-been. However, you know I am right when I say that you will not stop trying to fornicate with Hunter Biden’s Lapto…I mean that chicken even if Trump loses. Your love for Trump is such that it has become part of the fiber of your being.
@Paul L.:
Oh, please, Paul. Kelly’s been saying these things for four years. You know that. Everybody knows that.
@Paul L.:
Now one can agree with some aspects of Trump (as Mr Kelly indicates he does) and yet understand that pure My Tribalism is rather brain dead and blinkered.
You can even find the ever so precious Lefty Left professional class that dominates comment here to be extraordinarily tedious, bunglers and tone-deaf twats, and still understand Trump is bad for your country as the short-fingered easily manipulatable vulgarian he is, a bungler and bluffer….
Or not.
@Lounsbury: Lefty Left professional class that dominates comment here
Lefty Left? You are kidding. When I first came to this blog, it was right of center. Now its moderate, perhaps left of center, but that is due to the fact that the GOP is now far right. You want Lefty Left blogs – try Ballon Juice, Crooks and Liars, LGM. I think there are a lot of people at OTB who are liberal or even very liberal socially, more conservative fiscally and on international affairs. Which is basically where I am,
In reality, the GOP is whatever Trump feels like on any particular day. It’s like that episode of Twilight Zone with the little boy who has total power. Russia is our enemy. Oh wait, now we like them because an ignorant buffoon says we should. The debt? Of course it matters. Oh wait, Trump is president so it doesn’t. But it’s a good day!
@Steven L. Taylor: @Steven L. Taylor:
C’mon, TheRyGuy and Paul L, Trump was able to form a positive defense of Hitler, so step up you two. You even copy The Donald and tell us that cheaper eggs and tax cuts are worth a little bit of fascism.
@Kingdaddy:
Well, then bring back the down-thumb-vote and we can show our opinion without adding unnecessary comments. Should never have got rid of it in the first place.
@Not the IT Dept.:
I second that.
@Lucysfootball: Your perception is duly noted.
@Not the IT Dept.: @Kathy:
Me three.
@Kingdaddy: Well in the end what can one actually say on the OP?
@Not the IT Dept.: the historical record rather says that this is fantasy – the usual persons will not be able to restrain themselves.
@Paul L.:
I’m happy to discuss how High Schools are performing same day sex change operations, if you’d rather.
What’s interesting? Everyone here is fine discussing Kamala’s statements. And you can’t defend Trump’s verbal diarrhea at all. I wonder why that is.
@Steven L. Taylor: That one was an old-timey “Macintoshes are sh!t” troll. I’ma look further to see if it derails the conversation.
ETA: AYUP! Most of the comments are about RyGuy and what he said. Mission accomplished.
@TheRyGuy:
FFS, why would Kelly, Mattis, McMaster, Tillerson, Esper, Mulvaney, Pence, Bolton, Milley, Barr, Spencer, etc., etc., etc. lie about Trump? Because they’re jealous of his dazzling intellect, breadth of knowledge, movie star looks, and he-man physique? Not to speak of his immense charm.
Ha. For anyone who thinks this story isn’t hurting Trump, the tantruming and crying by our MAGA trolls shows otherwise. Their unhinged desperation is music to my ears.
Senile Don’s handpicked vice-president once called him “America’s Hitler.”
Now Trump’s chief-of-staff, John Kelly, is adding more detail to his own prior statements about Trump’s fascist affinity for Hitler.
Almost everyone who served with Trump in the White House is now publicly warning that Dementia Donald is a dangerously unfit extremist — publicly urging Americans to vote for Harris, whose policy positions they otherwise disagree with.
Americans know all these conservatives and Republicans are telling the truth, including the unhinged Trump slaves still lying here about the orange Putin-puppet’s now-proven Russia collusion. Of course it hurts Trump to have Republicans who served closely with him confirm his adoration of Hitler and hatred of our troops, our country, our values, and our Constitution. That’s precisely why MAGA deplorables are flailing in total meltdown. It’s the smell of fear. I love it.
Kudos to John Kelly, et al.
@DK: While I would not get quite so ahead on the skis, this does suggests some substance to a knife wound.
@DK: Hmmm… Vance called Trump “America’s Hitler,” Trump offers him the position of running mate all the same, he decides he’s fine with the offer. Interesting set of neuroses at work there.
@just nutha: Maybe it was said and taken as a compliment.
@Michael Reynolds:
I’m happy to discuss a “old” verboten #MeToo subject that resulted in the OTB comment censorship policy, if you’d rather.