Trump Reportedly Raged at His ‘F*cking Generals’ Over Lack of Absolute Loyalty: ‘Why Can’t You Be Like’ Hitler’s Generals?

An excerpt from an upcoming book on Donald Trump’s administration delves into the former president’s volatile relationship with military officials during his time at the White House.

The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser offered a preview on Monday from the book she co-authored with Peter Baker, The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021. The book includes several illuminating anecdotes of how Trump clashed with former White House chief of staff John Kelly when discussing military parades in Washington, the U.S. approach to Afghanistan, and how to address foreign threats to the country.

While the book notes that Trump used to be enchanted by the idea of being in command of the military, it describes how he became dissatisfied with the national security personnel he had to work with. This reportedly led to Trump complaining that America’s military leaders weren’t sufficiently subservient to him, and his wishing that U.S. commanders could be more like “the German generals in World War II.”

From The New Yorker:

Trump’s love affair with “my generals” was brief, and in a statement for this article the former President confirmed how much he had soured on them over time. “These were very untalented people and once I realized it, I did not rely on them, I relied on the real generals and admirals within the system,” he said.

It turned out that the generals had rules, standards, and expertise, not blind loyalty. The President’s loud complaint to John Kelly one day was typical: “You fucking generals, why can’t you be like the German generals?”

“Which generals?” Kelly asked.

“The German generals in World War II,” Trump responded.

“You do know that they tried to kill Hitler three times and almost pulled it off?” Kelly said.

But, of course, Trump did not know that. “No, no, no, they were totally loyal to him,” the President replied. In his version of history, the generals of the Third Reich had been completely subservient to Hitler; this was the model he wanted for his military.

The report goes on to describe Trump’s attempts to place yes men and others amenable to his desires into various national security positions. This brought him into conflict with those who viewed Trump and his actions as antithetical to the Constitution.

Watch above, via CNN.

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