Support for Trump Is Slipping in the Military

The Republican Party likes to claim that it has a monopoly on patriotism and somewhat blindly expects members of the nation's military to blindly follow the GOP and occupant of the White House forgetting that each member of the military is sworn to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution, not the president.  To the extent that members of the military have fallen for the GOP's false claims, Donald Trump appears to be making it clear to service members that he  holds no such allegiance to U.S. Constitution and most certainly holds no allegiance to those who wear the nation's uniform.  Instead, Trump views them as props for photo ops and his personal servants to further his self-absorbed personal agenda. Indeed, Trump seemingly care little about Russian bounties placed on Americans in Afghanistan as he bowed and scraped to Vladimir Putin.  A piece in the Washington Post looks at Trump's slipping support among service members.  Living in an area with a huge population of military members and their families, I believe the author is on the mark.  Here are article excerpts: 

The weekend warriors in their Army surplus battle rattle, their paintball weapons and gun show specials are getting lots of love from this clown show’s commander in chief.

“GREAT PATRIOTS!” President Trump tweeted, along with a video of the vigilantes flouting the law and causing disorder while cruising the streets of an American city.

Meanwhile, the real defenders of freedom — the men and women of the U.S. military — aren’t getting love from Trump. And they’re sure not giving it.

Unsurprising, given the way Trump didn’t even blink at reports that Russia was paying bounties to Afghan troops for American kills. Or that he was impeached for withholding military aid to Ukraine, putting global trust in America’s military at risk. Or that he keeps trying to take millions in military funding — gutting plenty of military projects right here in the D.C. region, including a day care for military kids — to build his wall.

There has been waning support for Trump in the military over his four years. Some of it began with his bone-spur excuse to avoid the draft and his bravado at equating his private, military school cosplay with true military service.

Social media is full of veterans explaining why they aren’t voting for Trump. Like Dave, a Marine Corps veteran from Wisconsin who served alongside Muslim Americans and was taken aback by Trump’s early anti-Muslim stances. Dave, who didn’t give his last name in the video he posted with Republicans Against Trump, generated a string of responses from other veterans on Twitter with similar fear for our Constitution.

“We’re tired of the GOP chokehold on patriotism, and tired of hearing that Democrats hate America,” George Wright stated as the reason he founded the Kentucky Democratic Veterans Council.

“We don’t seek members from the active-duty ranks,” Wright explained, after I asked about his retirement project. “But I’m pleased to see what appears to be increasing disenchantment with a president who’s an undignified con man.”

But none of these insults matches the slow simmer we have seen among top military officials over Trump’s latest bluster about moving troops around American soil like his personal toy soldiers.

Having been to dangerous places around the globe, having put their own lives on the line while seeing the way other nations treat their people, the great patriots of the military understand how dangerous the surplus-store vigilantes are.

When Trump used federal officers against civilians in the June 1 clash outside the White House — when they cleared the way for him to stand in front of St. John’s Church holding a Bible — 89 former Defense officials wrote a chilling op-ed in The Washington Post about the danger he is trying to unleash.

What have been largely peaceful protests across the nation — between 13 and 26 million people have taken part in a social justice protest following the police killing of George Floyd — are starting to include ugly clashes, thanks in large part to Trump and the way he fuels the chaos. He is threatening to send troops to more American cities, and he ordains the gun-show vigilantes as his personal army each time he praises their actions and demeans protesters.

[F]olks in the military are again nervous about being called into politics.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), who used to fly helicopters for the Navy, had to ask the Pentagon whether it would stand down come Election Day.

She and another lawmaker, former CIA analyst Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), wrote a letter to Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper asking them for their assurances in November.

This is not normal. And it’s not American. It’s time to support our troops, America, by listening to them.

Trump must be defeated in November.