A retired Four-Star General has called former president Donald Trump a “danger” to the United States, describing him as “entirely unqualified to be the commander-in-chief.”
Barry McCaffrey made the comments in an interview with MSNBC on Thursday during a discussion about the Senate’s confirmation of General Mark Milley, who himself recently made shocking claims against the Republican frontrunner.
The criticism from such prominent military figures sparks a blow for Donald Trump, given the Republican Party’s belief in the importance of national security.
The only time Trump saw a dip in popularity among potential GOP voters came after the then-comparatively low-profile classified documents indictments shot to prominence in June earlier this year.
Donald Trump Is “A Danger To The Republic”
General McCaffrey was speaking alongside other analysts on MSNBC when he said Russian President Vladimir Putin had been “incentivized by Trump’s behavior.”
“The next time around, if you decapitate the institutions — the FBI, the CIA, Homeland Security and put loyalists without a sense of respect for the law in there, we could be in trouble,” said Gen. McCaffrey. “There’s always an assumption — that couldn’t happen here.”
“The 1930s Germany was a civilized nation that descended into autocracy, so we better worry about it. Trump is a leading contender, and this is not a political statement — he’s entirely unqualified to be the commander-in-chief. He’s a danger to the republic and that’s where we stand,” he added.
The General furthered his comments following the interview, stating that “Trump was and is a danger to our democracy and unfit to be the Constitutional Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces.” In addition, he claimed Trump was “contemptuous of a severely wounded soldier” at Gen. Milley’s swearing in ceremony four years ago.
Milley’s Claim
The soon-to-retire chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Trump made a “disturbing” comment about wounded veteran Captain Luis Avila.
According to Milley, Trump said: “Why do you bring people like that here? No one wants to see that, the wounded,” before allegedly asking him to never let the soldier make a public appearance again. Avila lost his leg in an IED attack in Afghanistan, and had suffered two heart attacks, two strokes, and brain damage as a result of his injuries.
Trump reportedly had a “sour view” of the armed forces, forcing Gen. Milley to educate the then-president on the concepts of honor, sacrifice and duty. Furthermore, Trump allegedly asked Gen. Milley whether he was “soft on transgenders.”
“I’m not soft on transgender or hard on transgender,” Gen. Milley responded. “I’m about standards in the U.S. military, about who is qualified to serve in the U.S. military. I don’t care who you sleep with or what you are.”
Gen. Milley is due to retire at the end of September.
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events, including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
