Other Trump's Defense Secretary: Trump makes a mockery of our Constitution
Former Defense Secretary James Mattis has not held back in his criticisms of former President Donald Trump, warning that Trump’s actions posed significant risks to American unity and international standing. In a damning critique, Mattis stated that Trump “does not even pretend to try” to unify the American people, adding that Trump’s behavior “makes a mockery of our Constitution.” His criticism highlighted his deep concerns that Trump's divisive actions were undermining core democratic values.
Mattis also described Trump as “the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try,” a statement that underscored the unprecedented nature of his critique. He went further, calling Trump a “polemicist” rather than a true leader, noting that Trump’s style was marked by an absence of “strategic acumen” necessary to manage complex international alliances. According to Mattis, Trump’s impulsive approach to foreign policy decisions, such as abruptly withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria, compromised national security and abandoned allies, leading Mattis to resign in protest.
Beyond foreign policy, Mattis was alarmed by the internal divisions Trump had intensified within the U.S. “What concerns me most as a military man is not our external adversaries,” Mattis wrote, “It is our internal divisiveness. We are dividing into hostile tribes.” He argued that Trump’s tactics — fueling divisions rather than fostering common ground—posed a threat to American democracy itself, warning that this path would lead to a dangerously “lonely” position on the world stage.
Reuters, AP, Wall Street Journal, Politico
