The Pentagon is warning the White House that they need to stop politicizing the military, or they will take steps to issue formal guidance to stop the White House’s behavior.
According to the AP, “The Pentagon has told the White House to stop politicizing the military, amid a furor over a Trump administration order to have the Navy ship named for the late U.S. Sen. John McCain hidden from view during President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Japan. A U.S. defense official said Patrick Shanahan, Trump’s acting defense chief, is also considering sending out formal guidance to military units in order to avoid similar problems in the future.”
The guidance would likely involve setting up procedures so that the White House advance team couldn’t show up and hide ships like USS McCain because McCain’s name will set Trump off.
The White House sees nothing wrong with treating the troops like props. As White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said on Meet The Press, “The fact that some 23 or 24-year-old person on the advance team went to that site and said oh my goodness, there’s the John McCain. We all know how the president feels about the former senator. Maybe that’s not the best backdrop. Can somebody look into moving it? That’s not an unreasonable thing to ask…The president’s feelings toward the former senator are well known. They’re well known throughout the office. They’re well known in the media, but to think you’re going to get fired over this is silly.”
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Trump has been treating the military like a prop since he was sworn into office. The White House is not going to do anything to treat the troops with respect, so it will be up to the Pentagon to protect the troops from Donald Trump and his crew of enablers.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
