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.
