Sen. Jim Inhofe on Thursday defended President Trump’s military policy before a group of uniformed service members, some of whom, he said, “probably … hate Trump.”
“Some of you in this room are probably among those who hate Trump,” Inhofe, R-Okla., said in remarks at Fort McNair Thursday. “Well, that’s all right, but you need to recognize what this guy’s done. So keep that in mind, it doesn’t really fit into the presentation here, but you got to realize this guy’s done a great job.”
The appearance at the National Defense University on the base was billed as Inhofe’s first formal address as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which he took over after John McCain died.
The position has put Inhofe in an awkward position with Trump, who has ordered the military to slash its planned spending by 5 percent. That caused Inhofe and Rep. Mac Thornberry to head to the Oval Office on Tuesday to try to persuade the president, Vice President Mike Pence, and national security adviser John Bolton against the move.
Trump said total defense spending next year might be around $700 billion, well below the $716 billion spent this year and further below the increases that many are looking for.
[Related: Jim Inhofe presses for bigger defense budget after Trump meeting]
The split did not stop the new Armed Services chairman from praising Trump’s handling of the defense budget over the past two years, the economy, and new judges to the assembled troops on the Army post, which dates back to the 1790s.
“If you stop and look at the successes he’s had … you ought to write these three down because you’ll get into an argument,” Inhofe said.
But Inhofe, who boasted that he is consistently rated among the most conservative senators, allowed that he too is bothered sometimes by Trump’s constant tweeting, which has often caused frantic scrambles, consternation and head-scratching within the Pentagon and Congress.
“Everybody hates Trump. You know, they do. They don’t like him. Hey, I have to admit, every time I hear that a, what do they call those, tweets, that a tweet is coming out at I cringe a little bit,” he said. “It would be kind of nice if he … changed the wording maybe a little bit. But how else can he circumvent the media?”
The military audience was also warned about press coverage of the defense budget, which has been focused recently on Trump’s ordered 5 percent cut and Inhofe’s call for a 3-5 percent increase over inflation for 2019 and the coming years.
“If there’s one group that knows this and doesn’t have to be told it’s you, and that is, don’t trust the media,” he said.
