A few weeks ago, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign made an unexpected announcement, which was inadvertently funny. The announcement was that many former officials from Trump’s foreign policy and national security teams signed onto a joint statement endorsing his 2024 candidacy.
It struck me as rather amusing because the press release effectively told the public, “Some members of Trump’s former team still support him.” As a rule, presidents seeking second terms don’t bother issuing statements such as these, in large part because it’s assumed that they enjoy the backing of their own employees.
But even more interesting, of course, was the list of Trump administration officials who didn’t sign onto the joint statement.
To be sure, by most measures, the most important names in national American politics this year are Harris, Walz, Trump and Vance. But it’s hardly a stretch to think the other most important names are Milley, Esper, Bolton, Kelly and Mattis. The Washington Post reported:
Vice President Kamala Harris bet big last week that former advisers to Donald Trump can help make her president. Former defense secretary Mark T. Esper, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley and former national security adviser John Bolton have not endorsed her candidacy, but they have each made clear they oppose his. And they have played a starring role in her television advertising.
According to the Post’s reporting, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, between Oct. 7 and 17, most of the Harris campaign’s advertising has focused on Trump facing opposition from members of his own team and his own party. The article added, “She spent more advertising on that message than any other topic, including abortion, her own biography, policy attacks on Trump or the economy, according to the AdImpact tracking firm.”
I’m not privy to the Harris campaign’s internal deliberations, but I have a strong hunch that focus group tests found this to be highly persuasive — especially for voters outside the Democratic Party’s base.
And for good reason. Consider:
- Trump tapped then-Gen. Mark Milley to serve as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After working side-by-side with Trump, Milley now believes the Republican is “fascist to the core” and “the most dangerous person to this country.”
- Trump tapped Mark Esper to serve as the secretary of Defense. After working side-by-side with Trump, Esper concluded that Trump is “unfit” for office, a national security threat, and a “threat to democracy.”
- Trump tapped retired Gen. James Mattis to serve as the secretary of Defense. After working side-by-side with Trump, Mattis reportedly told Bob Woodward that he also sees Trump as a threat to the United States.
- Trump tapped retired Gen. John Kelly to serve, first as the Homeland Security secretary, and then as White House chief of staff. After working side-by-side with Trump, Kelly concluded that Trump is “poisoning” people’s minds, has “serious character issues,” and is not “a real man.” Kelly has also said that Trump has “no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about,” and has “nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.”
- Trump tapped John Bolton to serve as his White House national security advisor. After working side-by-side with Trump, Bolton warned Americans, “A mountain of facts demonstrates that Trump is unfit to be president. … If his first four years were bad, a second four will be worse.”
There’s never been anything like this in American history. If you’re an on-the-fence voter, learning that leading members of his own national security team are disgusted by him — even describing him on the record as a “fascist” — it seems like the sort of thing that should have an impact.
With this in mind, it’s hard to blame Harris, not only for emphasizing this in campaign advertising but also for talking about it on a nearly daily basis. Vice President Harris: Trump’s Chief of Staff, two Defense Secretaries, his National Security Advisor, and his Vice President have all said he is unfit to be president again and is dangerous. His top general said he is ‘fascist to the core.’ These are people who were with him in… pic.twitter.com/EyNnwZhLfm For his part, Trump was asked over the weekend on Fox News about Milley’s and Mattis’ condemnations. The former president responded by claiming they were “not great generals,” adding, “I don’t respect them as soldiers. I never did.” He concluded that he “fired them both” — a claim that’s plainly and demonstrably untrue. Milley and Mattis, for the record, are two of the most decorated U.S. military leaders of their generation. Trump — also known as “Cadet Bone Spurs” — dodged the military draft during the war in Vietnam, making it all the more extraordinary that he doesn’t “respect them as soldiers.”
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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