In his latest piece in The Bulwark, conservative writer William Kristol warns military service members not to allow themselves be used as political pawns during Tuesday's gathering of top brass and President Donald Trump at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
Following Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's summoning of the military to Tuesday's gathering, Trump told Reuters, “I want to tell the generals that we love them, they’re cherished leaders, to be strong, be tough, and be smart and be compassionate.”
Trump's intentions are dubious, Kristol says, and "One might think there are far less expensive ways — ones with fewer inconveniences and security challenges — to have a nice talk with generals and show them some love, if love is all they need."
However, if Trump's aim is true, then he should use this opportunity, Kristol says, to "apologize for his repeated public and private denigration of military leaders."
In 2020, The Atlantic famously reported that Trump, while president, privately called American soldiers killed in war "losers" and "suckers".
Kristol also takes issue with Trump's reference to the military as "my generals."
"Indeed, one might think that this would be an occasion for President Trump to explain that he understands that general officers in the United States military cannot and should not be — as he’s called them before — his generals," Kristol says.
He also notes that Tuesday's gathering would be an opportune time for the president to retract some of his more controversial statements.
"Trump could even state that he regrets saying, in a conversation in the White House in his first term that, 'I need the kind of generals that Hitler had. People who were totally loyal to him, that follow orders,'" Kristol writes, adding, "He could apologize directly to retired Marine general John Kelly, his chief of staff at the time, for asking petulantly, 'Why can’t you be like the German generals?'"
Kristol, however, realizes none of this will happen, and instead, says he will pull pages from his playbook of patting himself on the back.
"I expect he’ll praise himself for ordering the killing of civilians on fishing boats in the Caribbean that the administration insists, with no evidence or legal analysis, are drug runners engaged in acts of war," Kristol says. "He may well defend his deployment of troops within the United States against 'domestic terrorism.' He could seek approbation for other problematic policies or opinions."
This, Kristol says, will likely "force" members of the military to applaud the president's statements, signaling, "that the military brass is on board with Trump’s authoritarian agenda. The message would be that this is not simply the United States military but that it is Donald Trump’s military."
"It would be good if all the general and flag officers present could quietly agree ahead of time not to let themselves be used as pawns for political purposes. It would be useful if they could agree not to applaud, not to cheer, but to sit silently and respectfully as the president speaks," Kristol says.
To those who are compelled for whatever reason to clap while the cameras are rolling, Kristol says, be selective with the applause.
"If they feel they have to applaud, to do so for uncontroversial statements of praise for the courage and dedication of those under their command, and not for political rallying cries."
Kristol says it is entirely possible for the generals to resist at Tuesday's meeting.
"The United States military is justly respected. It holds itself to high standards. It should do so tomorrow at Marine Corps Base Quantico," he says.
