This archive report was first published on 5 June 2020.
June 5, 2020, marked a turning point in the relationship between President Trump and the US military. The criticism that had been building since the president's walk across Lafayette Park with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and General Mark Milley has reached a boiling point.
Esper, a former Army officer and Persian Gulf War veteran, seemed particularly stunned by the events that unfolded. When he told NBC News that he 'didn't know where I was going,' he was speaking narrowly about being unaware that he was headed to St. John's Episcopal Church. However, his comment seemed to apply more broadly, indicating that he did not understand the symbolic implications of embracing the use of American military forces to suppress peaceful protests.
Trump's reliance on the military has been a key aspect of his presidency, particularly in his efforts to appeal to his base. He celebrated the hiring of General Jim Mattis as his first defense secretary and went on to hire other high-ranking military officials, including Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster. However, these relationships ultimately ended in controversy.
It was Mattis's decision to break his silence and speak out against Trump's approach that marked a significant turning point. In a statement, Mattis declared that Trump was 'the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try.' He also criticized Trump's use of the military, saying, 'We must reject any thinking of our cities as a 'battle space' that our uniformed military is called upon to 'dominate.'
Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, praised Mattis's statement, saying it was 'true and honest and necessary and overdue.' The criticism of Trump's approach to the military has continued to grow, with Admiral Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, denouncing the use of the military to support the president's political acts.
