WASHINGTON: True to his reputation as a political insurgent, US President Donald Trump threw a metaphorical hand grenade at the American military establishment on Monday, accusing it of waging wars to boost the profits of arms manufacturing companies.
In remarks that reverberated in the political and military-industrial spectrum across the world, Trump also sought to draw a distinction between the US military leadership and its rank and file, whose support he claimed.
"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 & make the planes & make everything else stay happy," he said at another White House briefing replete with controversial claims and stances.
The comments immediately evoked comparisons with a famous 1961 farewell speech by President Dwight Eisenhower in which he warned against excessive defence spending and engendered the term military-industrial complex – but with a critical difference: Trump himself has been a votary of an ever-expanding military budget and has often talked up American weapons and their manufacturers.
But the US President, who by some accounts is poorly grounded in history notwithstanding his self-aggrandizement as a genius who knows everything, retweeted several commentators who invoked the Eisenhower comparison, including a supporter who said "President Eisenhower said much the same back in 1961, warning the nation about the Military-Industrial Complex. Trump is right here."
Trump, however, has been a relentless salesman of US arms manufacturers, lauding and recommending them for countries ranging from Saudi Arabia to India, while excoriating NATO nations and European allies for not spending enough on their militaries. His administration also has several senior officials who have close ties with the m-i complex, notably Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who was a lobbyist for Raytheon. Eric Prince, the founder of the notorious Blackwater private security company, is the brother of his Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
The US President attack on his own military of which he is commander in chief came amid continuing disquiet about allegations that he belittled military service and called men in uniform who died or were captured in action suckers and losers. Trump and his supporters have contested and denied specific instances cited in Atlantic magazine where he is said to have made such remarks, but there is a broader body of comments where he has disparaged serving men on record.
Trump’s own niece Mary Trump talks about the family’s disdain for serving in the military in her book, recalling how her father (Trump’s youngest brother), who joined the US Air National Guard, "was frequently ridiculed for his career choices and disparaged for serving our country by both his father and by his brother Donald," who wanted him to join the family business. Trump himself received five deferments for a medical condition (bone spurs) that allowed him to avoid serving in the military, and he has joked in past interviews about the dodge.
Trump’s unconventional briefing also included at one point asking a reporter to remove his face mask to make himself be heard better (the reporter declined, and simply spoke louder to make himself heard to Trump’s satisfaction), and calling Joe Biden "stupid" – a word American school children are typically told to avoid using.
The US President also lashed out at Kamala Harris, saying she was disparaging his administration’s push for a Covid-19 vaccine for political purposes and "she will never be President."
"I watched Kamala's whole numbers drop from 15 to almost zero (during the Democratic primary) and then drop out even before she ran in Iowa (primary elections) because people didn't like it… and I understand why…she will never be president," Trump said, adding, "Although I have to be careful because Obama used to say that about Michelle... But you have to look at her (Harris) a little bit more closely because obviously, Joe is not doing well."
In remarks that reverberated in the political and military-industrial spectrum across the world, Trump also sought to draw a distinction between the US military leadership and its rank and file, whose support he claimed.
"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 & make the planes & make everything else stay happy," he said at another White House briefing replete with controversial claims and stances.
The comments immediately evoked comparisons with a famous 1961 farewell speech by President Dwight Eisenhower in which he warned against excessive defence spending and engendered the term military-industrial complex – but with a critical difference: Trump himself has been a votary of an ever-expanding military budget and has often talked up American weapons and their manufacturers.
But the US President, who by some accounts is poorly grounded in history notwithstanding his self-aggrandizement as a genius who knows everything, retweeted several commentators who invoked the Eisenhower comparison, including a supporter who said "President Eisenhower said much the same back in 1961, warning the nation about the Military-Industrial Complex. Trump is right here."
Trump, however, has been a relentless salesman of US arms manufacturers, lauding and recommending them for countries ranging from Saudi Arabia to India, while excoriating NATO nations and European allies for not spending enough on their militaries. His administration also has several senior officials who have close ties with the m-i complex, notably Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who was a lobbyist for Raytheon. Eric Prince, the founder of the notorious Blackwater private security company, is the brother of his Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
The US President attack on his own military of which he is commander in chief came amid continuing disquiet about allegations that he belittled military service and called men in uniform who died or were captured in action suckers and losers. Trump and his supporters have contested and denied specific instances cited in Atlantic magazine where he is said to have made such remarks, but there is a broader body of comments where he has disparaged serving men on record.
Trump’s own niece Mary Trump talks about the family’s disdain for serving in the military in her book, recalling how her father (Trump’s youngest brother), who joined the US Air National Guard, "was frequently ridiculed for his career choices and disparaged for serving our country by both his father and by his brother Donald," who wanted him to join the family business. Trump himself received five deferments for a medical condition (bone spurs) that allowed him to avoid serving in the military, and he has joked in past interviews about the dodge.
Trump’s unconventional briefing also included at one point asking a reporter to remove his face mask to make himself be heard better (the reporter declined, and simply spoke louder to make himself heard to Trump’s satisfaction), and calling Joe Biden "stupid" – a word American school children are typically told to avoid using.
The US President also lashed out at Kamala Harris, saying she was disparaging his administration’s push for a Covid-19 vaccine for political purposes and "she will never be President."
"I watched Kamala's whole numbers drop from 15 to almost zero (during the Democratic primary) and then drop out even before she ran in Iowa (primary elections) because people didn't like it… and I understand why…she will never be president," Trump said, adding, "Although I have to be careful because Obama used to say that about Michelle... But you have to look at her (Harris) a little bit more closely because obviously, Joe is not doing well."
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