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How The U.S. Army was Reduced to a Sideshow [1]
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Date: 2025-06-16
About a week before the parade of American power down the streets of Washington, DC, on Saturday, President Donald Trump orchestrated a preview at Fort Bragg (Liberty). On June 10, in front of a hand-picked group of volunteer-uniformed members of the Army, Trump delivered a political rally speech, met with cheers and jeers from the soldiers. They cheered his pledge to restore the names of bases that had been previously named for traitors to the United States. They jeered at the mention of the names of Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. All this behavior violates military code, which demands apolitical and non-partisan conduct [DoD directive 1344.10]. Not only did the members serve as uniformed extras for a partisan political speech, but vendors were also allowed to sell Trump merchandise to active-duty soldiers.
Donald Trump proposed displaying American military might in his first term in 2017, after witnessing a parade in France at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron along the famed Champs-Élysées. What should have been looked upon as an honor, celebrating France’s Bastille Day, Mr. Trump left with envy and jealousy, wanting a parade of his own. The fact that the anniversary of the founding of the Army, Flag Day, and his birthday all coincided must have given him nocturnal dreams that would be the envy of men. The shame is that an organization that has protected, served, and honored the citizens of America was reduced to a sideshow for a megalomaniac bent on power. Mr. Trump has a long and documented history of dishonoring prisoners of war and the wounded. “No one wants to see that, the wounded,” said Trump, according to Gen. Milley. Gold Star families and the everyday soldiers he called “losers and suckers” all were victims of his disrespect and vitriol.
I question anyone who believes that the Army's deserved celebration on Saturday was in honor of the brave fighting men and women, rather than a self-aggrandizing birthday present to himself. Even sadder, the day ended as a sideshow to the millions who opposed Mr. Trump wanting to establish a monarchy instead of the customary presidency that the armed forces fought and died to maintain. Three members of my family, including my great-uncle, sister, and son, served in the Army during World War II and through the incursion into the Middle East following 9/11. It was painful to watch the institution being used as a prop for a wannabe fascist.
Through no direct fault of his own, President Trump’s exploitation of the Army fell on the day two Minnesota State officials, and their spouses, were gunned down, apparently for political retribution, a word strongly associated with the President. To his credit, the President has issued the appropriate comment, the shootings of two Minnesota state lawmakers “will not be tolerated in the United States of America,” and vowed that the shooter who carried out the brazen attacks will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Unfortunately, as is his selfish wont, he also took the opportunity to disgrace the process by taking a verbal shot at the former Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz, "Well, it's a terrible thing. I think [Walz] he's a terrible governor. I think he's a grossly incompetent person. But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too," the president told ABC reporter Rachel Scott.
Republicans lambasted former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel for saying, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that [is] it’s an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.” Emmanuel was referring to the 2008 financial crisis under George W. Bush. Mr. Trump has constructed a blueprint for turning tragedy into an attack. Never let a tragedy escape the cruel fun of humiliation.
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