General Stanley McChrystal has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, describing the race as one where “character is the ultimate measure of leadership.”
The military veteran responsible for several successful operations against Al Qaeda in Iraq said that Harris would be the best candidate to negotiate with foreign leaders, writing in the New York Times that he trusted her to collaborate with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and represent America on the global state.
General McChrystal was the commander of US and ISAF forces in Afghanistan before retiring in 2010, and has since launched a leadership consultancy company specializing in foreign policy.
In his op-ed, the general said that Harris was more reliable than former President Trump on the global stage, warning that “our president must be more than a malleable reflection of the public’s passions.”
McChrystal said that the 2024 election was primarily defined by the character of the candidates running, writing: ” Fortunately, neither candidate in this pivotal election is unknown to us.We’ve had years to watch both closely.
Retired U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal previously criticized President Donald Trump, saying he believes the man is “immoral,” self-serving and not representative of American values.
Getty Images Brendan Smialowski/Stringer
“Each of us must seriously contemplate our choice and apply the values we hope to find in our president, our nation and ourselves. Uncritically accepting the thinking of others or being swayed by the roar of social media crowds is a mistake.”
McChrystal previously criticized Donald Trump during his presidency, calling him “immoral,” self-serving and not representative of American values in 2018. The general appeared to call back to those criticisms in his writing, where he today described Harris as selfless and “working in our national interest, not her own.”
There were also veiled references to accusations that Trump has failed to respect members of the military, fueled by his comments about former Republican senator and veteran John McCain being captured during the Vietnam war, and his use of Arlington in a political campaign ad.
Despite his service in Afghanistan, McChrystal made no reference to the disastrous withdrawal carried out under the Biden administration, from which the president’s approval ratings never recovered.
Harris, who has previously said that she was “the last person in the room” with Biden during the operation, has repeatedly been attacked by the Trump campaign over her involvement with the withdrawal, which resulted in the death of 13 American soldiers.
Newsweek contacted the Trump campaign and the Harris campaign for a response to the general’s statements.
McChrystal wrote: “Character will dictate whether we stand by our NATO allies and against Vladimir Putin‘s continued aggression. Character will dictate whether we have a commander in chief who honors and respects the men and women who serve in uniform.”
Despite the general’s endorsement, the majority of Americans living in swing states think that Trump is better suited to handling U.S. foreign interests, according to polling by the New York-based Institute for Global Affairs.
Nationally, Harris led the poll, with 52 percent of respondents backing Harris, compared to 48 percent for Trump. Among swing state voters, however, the results are flipped, with Trump leading Harris 54 percent to 46 percent in this category.
Voters in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada backed Trump over Harris on ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, with 58 percent of swing state voters saying Trumo is more likely to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza than Harris.
However, Harris did lead the former president on the question of who would be better at improving America’s international reputation.
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any Donald Trump or the 2024 Election? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
