Trump's military insults accumulate

He neglected to go to the combat zones. Unlike other presidents, he suggested that ballots for mid-term elections not be counted. He also missed the Veterans Day ceremonies. The other leaders took the time to go there and reiterated that he knew more about military issues than the generals.

"These unnecessary non-forced mistakes, when you attack people like Admiral McRaven and (the late Senator John) McCain, show disrespectful disrespect," said Melissa Bryant, Veterans of Iraq Policy Officer. and Afghanistan Veterans of America. and a veteran of the war in Iraq.

But James Carafano, vice-president of foreign policy and defense at the Heritage Foundation, said any complaint about Trump's treatment of the military is only partisan.

"I do not think it's really a problem," said Carafano, who served in the military for 25 years. "I think it's a partisan issue posing as a civilian military case."

The Uniform Code of Military Justice, which states officers who use "scornful words" to emphasize the code and culture of the military bar, avoids criticizing the commander-in-chief and stresses the importance of a service apolitical. the president could be punished.

This did not prevent serving officers from distinguishing between military and political policy.

"We have a very strong apolitical, non-partisan ethic in the US military," said Joseph Dunford, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a conference held in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Sunday. He was answering a question about the use of troops on the southern border to counter a group of Central American migrants heading to the United States to seek asylum.

The deployment was widely viewed as a campaign ploy, especially after Trump stopped raising the issue as frequently after the by-elections. "We do not participate in politics and we are very careful to stay in our hallway and look at the military dimension of the problem and not comment on the policy," Dunford said.

Veterans vote

Some military officials, past and present, however, have made very sharp remarks. General Joseph Votel, Head of Central Command, General Tony Thomas, Head of Special Operations Command and McRaven all praised the media – Trump's frequent target – and stressed the importance of a free press.

Until now, the veterans are holding on to the president and his party, at least at the polls.

CNN exit polls show that 60% of veterans supported Trump in 2016 and 63% supported Republicans in that year's anti-pressure races, while 36% supported Democrats. In 2018, the percentage of veterans supporting Republicans fell to 58%, while 41% gave Democrats their vote.

Still, Trump, about Florida's mid-term race, tweeted that the mail ballots – many of which are voiced by soldiers, their dependents, and subcontractors deployed abroad – should not be counted.

Bryant, US veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, acknowledges Trump's success in the military, including funding that Defense Secretary James Mattis described in March as "the military budget on most important of history "and programs for veterans as a new bill on GIs.

But she and other veterans said that it was frustrating to find that the president was not hesitant to claim his success and admire the luster of the army – such as when he was in the dark. he had initiated the idea of ​​a military parade in Washington – but did not follow through difficult issues.

"These are problems he faces, and he's never there to deal with the tough issues," Bryant told the president. "He is there only when he wants to praise his achievements and, frankly, it is not his only – his advocates and lawmakers have been working for years on these issues."

On top of that, she added, "there is disrespectful angle."

"There is no visiting troops abroad, not once," she said, referring to combat assignments like Afghanistan or Iraq . "He jumped the Paris cemetery when other world leaders did it" for a ceremony in honor of the dead of the First World War, noted Mr. Bryant. Trump later said that the secret services had decided not to attend due to time and traffic issues.

Trump also avoided the wreath-laying ceremony of Veterans Day at Arlington Cemetery, Virginia, across the river from the White House, although VA's secretary, Robert Wilkie, be present. The president told Fox News on Sunday that he had made a mistake in skipping the event.

And then, says Bryant, Trump "seems to have a tendency to blame the war heroes – McRaven, McCain – who are perceived in the military space and more broadly as opinion leaders, all because They are criticizing it, which is what is disturbing. "

The president's habit of belittling military expertise and military heroes was visible during the 2016 presidential campaign, when he stated that McCain was "not a war hero" since he had been captured during the Vietnam War. Trump received several adjournments during the war, including one for bony spurs on heels. The candidate at the time also mocked the American-Pakistani family of a US soldier who died during the Iraq war. And he said that he knew more than "the generals" about the ISIS terrorist group or about "the attack and the defense that they will never understand. Believe me".

& # 39; I do not know & # 39;

In an interview with "60 Minutes" in October, the president reaffirmed that he was more of an expert on military issues than Pentagon staff, saying he knew more about NATO than Mattis, who he described as "a kind of democrat."

Carafano of the Heritage Foundation says that the public should treat Trump's words as the president himself does.

"We saw him saying terrible things to one person, then the next day and saying wonderful things about that same person." That's how he expresses himself, said Carafano.

"You can not develop a policy to listen to the president's comments and tweets." When he says something about a member of the military, he does not see it like something about the army in general. " Carafano added. "I do not know."