‘Trump’s personal and partisan army’: Trump’s brazen effort to politicize the U.S. military just went from bad to worse

The news you need to hear is that Donald Trump’s brazen efforts to turn the U.S. military into his own personal, partisan army have only gotten worse. This is according to reports detailing his increasingly political speeches delivered to active-duty personnel, per MSNBC. This isn’t just a matter of him airing grievances and peddling the same self-indulgent lies he shares at his rallies; when he delivers that same partisan red meat to men and women in uniform, it becomes a qualitatively different kind of story.

It’s one thing for a president to address the troops, but it’s another entirely to treat the audience like they’re just another MAGA crowd looking for a dose of political warfare. Trump has made a clear pattern of doing exactly that, and it’s deeply concerning. Back in June, he spoke at Fort Bragg and actually goaded U.S. troops to boo his perceived political foes, specifically calling out Joe Biden, the free press, and American elected officials he doesn’t like.

If you’d ask me, turning a military base into a rally stage is wildly inappropriate. Then, just three months later, he kept the pedal down on politicization. He summoned the nation’s generals and admirals for a meeting, which turned into him just rambling on about a whole host of topics that have nothing to do with their military duties. We’re talking about his takes on tariffs, his desire for a Nobel Peace Prize, his hatred for Democrats, and, of course, his continued belief that his 2020 election defeat was “rigged.” You’d expect a meeting with the nation’s top military brass to be focused on defense strategy, not a rehash of his usual talking points.

Trump wants to make the army his

A week after that, we saw the same thing happen at an event honoring the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary. Trump seemed determined to turn the military personnel against parts of the country he doesn’t like. He delivered an absolute gem of a quote, too, saying, “We have to take care of this little gnat that’s on our shoulder called the Democrats.” I honestly can’t believe how open he is about trying to inject partisan politics into the military.

Moving forward, the most recent example shows just how routine this has become. Speaking to U.S. soldiers aboard the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan, he went at it again. The New York Times noted that while he’s been doing this more often at home lately, it’s still striking to see him basically holding what looks and sounds very much like one of his signature political rallies right in front of members of the United States military.

He didn’t hold back, either. He repeatedly condemned his predecessor, Joe Biden, told the audience that the 2020 election had been “rigged,” and even “savaged Democratic governors who resist military incursions into their cities.” To be fair, he even encouraged the troops to deride the gathered journalists, calling out the “fake news media.” It sounds less like a Commander-in-Chief addressing his troops and more like a candidate working to rally the crowd before a primary election.

This entire approach is obviously making some members of the military very nervous indeed. The sad part is that, acknowledging the frequency with which the President takes these steps, this behavior is becoming the new normal when it comes to Trump and civil-military affairs.