Trump and the generals: Who is really on the wrong side of civilian-military relations and the Constitution?

Published November 1, 2024 6:10am ET



During his two previous presidential campaigns and one term as president, Donald Trump was routinely accused by the national security “clerisy” of violating the norms of U.S. civil-military relations, especially those related to the political neutrality of the military. Of course, those norms had been eroding for some time, and much of the blame can be laid at the feet of the military. Things have only gotten worse recently. Several retired high-ranking generals and flag officers, including Army Gen. Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Marine Gen. John Kelly, Trump’s longest-serving White House chief of staff, have accused the former president of being a “fascist.”

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