During a press conference on Monday, President Donald Trump responded to The Atlantic article claiming that he disparaged military members by saying that, on the contrary, soldiers love him.
“I’m not saying the military’s in love with me. The soldiers are. The top people in the Pentagon probably aren’t because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy,” said the president. “But we’re getting out of the endless wars, you know how we’re doing.”
Numerous news sources including CNN and Fox News verified the claims outlined in The Atlantic article, of which include Trump skipping an Aisne-Marne cemetery visit out of concern for his hair and Trump denouncing soldiers and prisoners of wars as “losers” and “suckers.”
This latest claim implies that military leaders are controlled or heavily influenced by defense firms.
“I can assure the American people that the senior leaders would only recommend sending our troops to combat when it’s required in national security and the last resort,” said Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. James McConville.
Trump seems to be in conflict with his military commanders, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, whom he had many bouts with earlier this summer over issues such as banning the Confederate Flag. There are growing concerns that Trump may invoke the Insurrection Act in response to nationwide protesters. If so, the current military leadership plan to use the National Guard or other federal civilian enforcement rather than active-duty troops.
Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, said last month that the military will not get involved if the results of the November election are disputed.
