Donald Trump’s behavior should disqualify him from being America’s Commander in Chief, according to William H. McRaven, who said the Republican presidential nominee was behaving like a disturbed 15-year-old boy.
Echoing a chorus of criticisms against the former president from the country’s armed forces, McRaven wrote in a Monday column for the Wall Street Journal: “The White House is the home of American leadership, where Republican leaders like Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush resided. While each of these leaders had his shortcomings and foibles, none of them consistently violated every principle of good leadership like Donald Trump does.”
The retired Navy four-star admiral gave several examples of Trump’s unpresidential antics, including his recent joke about the manhood of golf legend Arnold Palmer.
“These are things a disturbed 15-year-old boy would do, not the commander in chief, not the man who holds the nuclear codes, not the leader of the free world,” McRaven said.
“You may not like her policies, her followers or her vision for America, but Ms. Harris won’t threaten the press, demean immigrants, mock those who have died for the country, break with our allies, or undermine the Constitution,” McRaven added.
Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign for a response to McRaven’s article.
Admiral William McRaven during a tour of the U.S. Capitol in 2021. McRaven recently said that former President Trump “has no self control” and “consistently violated every principle of good leadership.”
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Criticism of Trump’s off-color remarks, as well as the manner in which his campaign has been run, reached a peak following the candidate’s Sunday rally at Madison Square Garden. Jokes made by guest speakers and Trump’s own unverified statements about Vice President Kamala Harris and undocumented migrants, resulted in slew of criticisms from both Democrats and Republicans.
McRaven went on to mention Trump referring to Harris as “mentally impaired” and “a s *** vice president.”
“For those of you who dismiss this kind of language or, worse, defend it, if Mr. Trump is reelected you shouldn’t be surprised if this kind of aberrant behavior continues,” he said, “and everything about it will affect the future of the nation.”
McRaven is by no means the first current or former member of America’s top brass to take issue with Trump’s conduct.
Last week, The New York Times published an interview with John Kelly, in which the former White House Chief of Staff and retired Marine Corps general said that Trump had praised Adolf Hitler in his presence, and that Trump could accurately be described as a “fascist.” This coincided with Kelly telling The Atlantic that the former president wished his generals exhibited the same loyalty as those of the Nazi dictator. The Trump campaign has denied that he ever made these statements to Kelly.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at his Madison Square Garden campaign rally on October 27, 2024. Several prominent military figures, including John Kelly, have criticized the former president’s behavior, and cast doubt on his suitability for the White House.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Newsweek previously spoke with Glenn Schatz, Board Vice President at Veterans for Responsible Leadership (VRL), a political action committee found by a former Navy Seal to oppose Trump.
“We view the Trump reelection as potentially an existential threat to the future of the United States,” said Schatz, “and we’re trying to do what we can to prevent that from happening.”
He said that, while him and his fellow veterans were angered by Trump’s first term, his reelection would likely be even more extreme.
“He’s figured out what his mistakes are from his first time around. He’ll probably not have people like John Kelly and Jim Mattis, you know, sort of the adults in the room this time around,” Schatz said. “Because the adults told him no the first time through, and he doesn’t really like to be told no.”
Nevertheless, it appears Trump has managed to retain his party’s long-standing military backing, holding onto the support of around six-in-ten veterans. A Gallup poll, conducted between Aug. 26 and Sept. 2, found that 61 percent of veteran registered voters would vote for Trump, with 37 percent leaning toward Harris and 2 percent undecided between the pair.
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