A lot of what he does makes the most sense when you consider that he thinks being president means everything associated with it belongs to him specifically, rather than to the people, the government, or the office. The military is no exception — its why he thinks a parade for his birthday costing tens of millions of dollars makes perfect sense, or why holding a political rally filled with cheering troops, in clear opposition to long-standing Pentagon policies, is totally fine.
Military.com on Wednesday reported that Trump’s speech at Fort Bragg this week, ostensibly part of the Army’s 250th anniversary celebrations, involved a careful curation of the audience. Soldiers were apparently told to only attend if they agree with the president’s politics: “If soldiers have political views that are in opposition to the current administration and they don’t want to be in the audience then they need to speak with their leadership and get swapped out,” a note to troops apparently said.
And not just political views, but appearances too — if we’re going to have a sea of cheering soldiers, we can’t have any that don’t look the all-American part. Per another note: “No fat soldiers.”
The result was the standard grotesquerie of a Trump rally, a speech rife with whatever his current grievances might be, only against a backdrop of camo-wearing service members who, in normal times, wouldn’t be permitted to participate in such overtly political activity. As the Military.com report notes: “The Army has historically gone to great lengths to avoid even the appearance of partisanship.” Not this time:
Adding to the spectacle, a pop-up shop operated by 365 Campaign, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based retailer that sells pro-Trump and other conservative-coded memorabilia, was set up on-site with campaign-style merchandise on Army property. Soldiers were seen purchasing clothing and tchotchkes, including “Make America Great Again” chain necklaces to faux credit cards labeled “White Privilege Card: Trumps Everything.”
As the National Guard and Marines have descended on Los Angeles, the Fort Bragg shenanigans at very minimum help spread the idea that the military is in lockstep behind the president, hooting and hollering their way into armed assaults on American cities. It isn’t clear yet if soldiers who did, in fact, ask to “get swapped out” will face any repercussions for such insubordination. This is his military, after all; why wouldn’t they all cheer.
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