Most of Donald Trump’s speeches are similar: The president tends to air grievances, peddle self-indulgent lies, share assorted conspiracy theories, condemn his perceived political foes and present himself as a conquering hero who has single-handedly created an American utopia (all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding).
In many instances, however, the audiences matter as much as the remarks. When the Republican meanders his way through partisan red meat when speaking at a political rally, it’s tiresome but predictable. When he delivers the same message to active-duty military personnel, it’s a qualitatively different kind of story.
In June, for example, Trump spoke at Fort Bragg and treated U.S. troops like they were just another MAGA audience, even goading troops to boo Joe Biden, the free press and American elected officials whom the president doesn’t like. (A report in The Bulwark described the display as “grotesque.”) Three months later, he did it again, summoning the nation’s generals and admirals to listen to him ramble about tariffs, the Nobel Peace Prize, his hatred for Democrats, his contempt for independent news organizations and his belief that his 2020 election defeat was “rigged.”
A week after that, speaking at an event honoring the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, Trump appeared determined to turn military personnel against the parts of the country he doesn’t like. “We have to take care of this little gnat that’s on our shoulder called the Democrats,” he said.
Speaking to U.S. soldiers aboard the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan, the Republican did it once again. The New York Times noted, “Trump has been doing this more often at home lately, but it is still striking to see him basically holding what looks and sounds very much like one of his signature political rallies in front of members of the United States military.”
A Politico report fleshed this out in more detail:
In the early hours of this morning, Trump gave another highly partisan speech to the U.S. military, hailing his own political achievements and repeatedly condemning his Democratic opponents and critics in the media. … [W]hat’s most striking is Trump’s willingness to use the troops as a foil for his highly partisan rhetoric. He repeatedly condemned his predecessor Joe Biden, told his audience the 2020 election had been rigged and savaged Democratic governors who resist military incursions into their cities. … Trump also called out the ‘fake news media,’ encouraging the troops to deride the gathered journalists.
The Politico report noted that the Republican’s brazen efforts are “making some members of the military — privately — very nervous indeed.”
Just as notably, acknowledging the frequency with which the incumbent president takes these steps, Politico added that this is becoming “the new normal” when it comes to Trump and civil-military affairs.
While I understand the underlying point about conditions that are becoming more routine, this cannot become our “new normal.” An apolitical military is a foundational, bedrock principle of the United States. Partisan, ideological and electoral considerations must be utterly irrelevant to what the military is and how it functions. It is a principle for which Trump appears to have no use. The results are untenable. The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols recently highlighted what he described as an ongoing “civil-military crisis,” arguing, “Trump and his valet at the Defense Department, Secretary of Physical Training Pete Hegseth, are now making a dedicated run at turning the men and women of the armed forces into Trump’s personal and partisan army.” In Japan, the president offered fresh evidence to bolster that point. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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