The Trump campaign is also using the top U.S. general in a political ad, evidently without his consent

(Image credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

published 13 October 2020

A day after the Trump campaign released an ad that selectively edited a clip of Dr. Anthony Fauci so it seemed the nation's top infectious disease expert was praising the president's coronavirus response, the Trump campaign posted an online ad that uses an image of Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As with Fauci, the campaign did not seek or receive approval from Milley to place him in the ad, Politico reports, citing a defense official.

The U.S. military has strict rules against uniformed service members participating in political campaigns, and Milley, the top U.S. military commander, has recently been stressing that the military plays no role in domestic politics. "We, the U.S. military, we are sworn to obey the lawful orders of our civilian leadership," Milley told NPR in a rare interview Sunday. And if there's a contested presidential election this year, "it'll be handled appropriately by the courts and by the U.S. Congress. There's no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of a U.S. election. Zero. There is no role there."

Fauci asked the Trump campaign Monday to take down the ad featuring his deceptively edited words. Milley doesn't speak in the new ad, but it's "a disturbing violation of civil-military norms by the president's campaign," Jim Golby, a former Pentagon official now at the University of Texas at Austin, told Politico. "There is simply no reason for a sitting chairman of the Joint Chiefs to be included in an advertisement paid for by the campaign," he said. "Milley should denounce his inclusion in the ad, but the president never should have put him in this situation."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.