The Atlantic: Trump: ‘I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had’
Retired General Barry McCaffrey, a decorated Vietnam veteran, told me that Trump does not comprehend such traditional military virtues as honor and self-sacrifice. “The military is a foreign country to him. He doesn’t understand the customs or codes,” McCaffrey said. “It doesn’t penetrate. It starts with the fact that he thinks it’s foolish to do anything that doesn’t directly benefit himself.”
This is a portrait of a man who views military service through the lens of a playground bully who never grew up. To Trump, getting captured makes you a “loser.” Getting wounded makes you unsightly photo op material. And dying for your country? That just means you’re a failure.
The truly chilling part isn’t just Trump’s contempt for military service and sacrifice - it’s what that contempt reveals about his vision for America’s future. When someone tells you who they are, believe them. And Trump has been telling us, over and over, exactly who he is and what he wants to do with power.
The question is: are we listening?