When Gen. Mark Milley retired last year, following more than four decades of military service to the United States, he delivered a retirement speech that included some language that did not go unnoticed. “We don’t take an oath to a king, or a queen, to a tyrant or dictator — or wannabe dictator,” the retiring general said.
Many assumed, of course, that he was referring to Donald Trump, but the phrasing was at least somewhat subtle, and the four-star Army general did not elaborate. At least, he didn’t elaborate publicly at the time.
As The Washington Post reported, Milley apparently put subtlety aside when speaking to Bob Woodward for the longtime journalist’s new book.
Retired Gen. Mark A. Milley warned that former president Donald Trump is a “fascist to the core” and “the most dangerous person to this country” in new comments voicing his mounting alarm at the prospect of the Republican nominee’s election to another term, according to a forthcoming book by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward.
Milley’s assessment of the Republican candidate is rooted in first-hand experience: Trump handpicked Milley to serve as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the general worked alongside the then-president for more than a year.
“No one has ever been as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump,” the general told Woodward. “Now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is the most dangerous person to this country.”
Milley went on to note that he feared a possible court martial in a second Trump term — despite the fact that he’s now a civilian — and those concerns are well grounded. After all, according to Trump’s former Defense secretary, Mark Esper, Trump set out to have two highly decorated retired military leaders — Stanley McChrystal and William McRaven — court-martialed for saying things about the former president that he didn’t like.
(It was, of course, impossible to court-martial civilians in private life, so the then-president talked to military leaders about the Pentagon recalling the retired general and admiral to active duty so that Trump could formally punish him.)
As for Milley, Trump used to target the retired general with juvenile taunts — calling the general a “dumbass” and an “idiot” — but it was last fall when the Republican falsely accused Milley of having committed a “treasonous act” in the wake of Trump’s 2020 defeat. “[I]n times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” Trump wrote on his social media platform.
The accusations were bonkers, though Milley felt the need to take “adequate safety precautions” to protect his family in the wake of the Republican’s radical offensive.
Or put another way, civil life in the United States now involves a former president falsely accusing his former handpicked Joint Chiefs chair of treason, forcing the decorated former general to fear that a politician’s enraged followers might harm his family. The former president’s political party doesn’t find any of this alarming, and Americans might soon return him to power.
As for the larger context, as Trump’s former joint chiefs chair describes Trump as a “fascist to the core,” Milley isn’t alone. Trump’s former secretary of state referred to him as a “moron.” Trump’s former White House chief of staff has also accused Trump of “poisoning” people’s minds, having “serious character issues,” not being “a real man,” and abusing his office without regard for the law.
Trump’s former defense secretary has described him as a “threat to democracy,” while Trump’s former director of national intelligence said he “doesn’t know the difference between the truth and a lie.” Trump’s former director of national intelligence also said he suspected that Russia had leverage over Trump — because nothing else could explain the Republican’s behavior. As we’ve discussed, members of a presidential team have a unique perspective on an American presidency. After a president chooses them for their powerful positions, these cabinet officials routinely work closely with the person behind the desk in the Oval Office, learning first-hand how a president thinks, works, prioritizes, processes information and leads. I’ve long wondered what might persuade voters inclined to support Trump to change their minds. Who, if anyone, will they listen to? Clearly, these voters will not be persuaded by pundits. Or lawmakers. Or historians. Or prosecutors. Or committee reports. Or special counsel investigations. But perhaps they’ll consider listening to those who worked closely with Trump, and who keep warning Americans about the dangers he poses as the Republican tries to regain power? 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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