Are the troops turning on Trump?

Why the president's relationship with the military is souring

President Trump.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

It is odd and even shocking to see a Republican president get crosswise with the U.S. military.

During the post-Vietnam era — and through the War on Terror years — GOP politicians have made pro-troop hawkishness a key element of the party's identity. Ronald Reagan oversaw one of the largest peacetime military buildups in U.S. history. When George W. Bush ran for president in 2000, his running mate Dick Cheney told the Republican National Convention that "help is on the way" for the armed forces. Donald Trump followed in the path of his predecessors, promising in 2016 to "rebuild" the military — and then, after taking office, installed several retired generals in his Cabinet. If Republican leaders ever had a negative thought about the armed forces in recent decades, they stayed mum. Publicly, they always allied themselves with the troops.

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who has spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic, The Kansas City Star and Heatmap News. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.