Photo by US Army Sergeant Amber I. Smith
Politico: Inside Trump's First Pentagon Briefing
And what I saw there that foretold the coming rift between Mattis and the president.
Guy Snodgrass is former chief speechwriter for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. He is the author of Holding the Line: Inside Trump's Pentagon With Secretary Mattis, from which this article is adapted.
Long before real planning for it began, and long before the first news stories about it, those of us in the top levels of the Pentagon heard President Donald Trump demand the military parade he would eventually get. The bizarre request was one of the first signs I had of the enormous rift between my boss at the time, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and the president.
The clash came in the middle of Trump’s first Pentagon briefing on America’s military and diplomatic “laydown”—a term of art used to describe all of the locations around the world with U.S. forces and embassies—on July 20, 2017. Mattis, for whom I was working as chief speechwriter, had hoped the briefing would educate Trump on the United States’ longstanding commitment to the rest of the world. That is not at all what happened.
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WNU Editor: Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis knew that President Trump was not your conventional politician when he took the job, and that it was not going to be business as usual.
24 comments:
Kushner and Cohen, without high security clearances at Pentagon meeting?
this extract makes Trump seem even dumber than usual, the suggestion that not words but slides to form policy is day care stuff
10:08,
Do you want to repost using correct grammar?
Every thing you read on Trump says he’s dumb as rocks. Then you hear the excuses, my favorite, he’s not a conventional politician. Excuses for everything he does.
He is also not a conventional businessman. Just look at his tax records to see this
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Trump’s claim the Saudis will pay ‘100 percent of the cost’
The number of deaths during protests over social inequality in Chile rose to at least eight people on Oct. 20. (Reuters)
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Glenn Kessler
Oct. 21, 2019 at 3:00 a.m. EDT
“You read where we’re sending some troops to Saudi Arabia. That’s true. Because we want to help Saudi Arabia. They have been a very good ally. They’ve agreed to pay for the cost of those troops. They’ve agreed to pay fully for the cost of everything we’re doing over there. . . . Saudi Arabia is paying for 100 percent of the cost, including the cost of our soldiers. And that negotiation took a very short time — like, maybe, about 35 seconds.”
— President Trump, remarks at the White House, Oct. 16
“We are sending troops and other things to the Middle East to help Saudi Arabia. But are you ready? Saudi Arabia, at my request, has agreed to pay us for everything we’re doing. That’s a first. But Saudi Arabia — and other countries, too, now — but Saudi Arabia has agreed to pay us for everything we’re doing to help them.”
— Trump, remarks to reporters, Oct. 11
“Then the president said, ‘Well, the reason I’m taking the troops out of Syria is because I promised them at campaign to bring the troops home.’ My question to him was, ‘Is Saudi Arabia home? Is Saudi Arabia home? Why are our troops going to Saudi Arabia if you promised to bring them home?’ He said, ‘Well, the Saudi Arabians are paying for it.’ Really, we’re putting our troops in harm’s way for Saudi Arabia because they’re paying — it just didn’t add up.”
There is a concerted effort amongst the liberal press to portray President trump as dumb. This is done by writing articles with lies and/or exaggerations. This article is good example of that.
Oh. ok. he is bright. that is why he can not even read prepared script without fumbling. why Mattis says he needs visuals and not prose. that he goofs names and places daily. That he refuses to show his grades though claiming he is bright.But you know what the world does not know when the world notes he is not very bright at all
By all means elect a President who has condemned the past 20-30 years of US foreign and economic policies and then expect him to fall in line with the bureaucrats who support those programs. Many of those heads of departments from 2017 were coming from the wing of the GOP opposed to Trump's vision and supported those ruinous policies.
Also Politico is a staunch house media outlet for the Dems. So the reality is different than the spinners claim at Politico.
As usual. In the absence of an intelligent rebuttal to that which is not rebuttable anon goes for sleaze.
Trump's vision? the blind have better vision
The Trump administration's perennial push for steep budget cuts, an exodus of senior staffers with decades of experience and constant allegations that agency employees represent a deep state has sent morale at the State Department to an unprecedented low.
On top of that, President Trump has fired a senior diplomat after a whisper campaign mounted by his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and abandoned steadfast allies in the Middle East to fend for themselves on the battlefield at the behest of Turkey's government.
Current and former diplomats say the weight of those events is taking a startling and measurable toll on American foreign relations, and on their ability to carry out policy set by the White House.
The destruction Trump has accomplished and is accomplishing is beyond America's enemies' wildest dreams and of course abilities.
MAGA = Make Americans Grate (their teeth) Again.
NOW Chuds will pile up their child-like insults...they are hurt. their god has been shown for the failure he is
“I would be willing” to host the event at cost. Or possibly even for free.
How is that possible?
When Donald Trump became president he refused to divest himself of his company, the Trump Organization.
I suggest all you guys use some actual measure to factor someone's IQ. Not saying Trump is so smart, but his achievements speak for themselves.
Good Economy
Judges
Exiting Wars (agree or not)
Dealing with China
Handling of NK
Israel.....etc etc etc.
Fact check. (Subject to opinion Of course). Good economy- inherited, boosted by the tax cuts which are running out. Judges- subject to opinion. Existing Wars- are we talking Syria here cause I don’t know of any others. Dealing with China- agree with the need to. Not sure about how he’s doing it or even if he’s doing well at it. No Deal and and if the deal is done is it really a good one. Still to be seen. Handling of North Korea- you’re kidding right? Israel- Why is this accomplishment? You mean taking sides in a foreign election? Etc......
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The emoluments clause of the Constitution is not "phony."
It states: "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."
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