When a president suggests to U.S. troops that he’s considering a plan in which he might betray constitutional law, that’s a problem
Presidents from both parties have long recognized the importance of the United States having apolitical military. To mix partisanship and the armed forces is to undermine foundational American principles.
It was against this backdrop that Donald Trump addressed U.S. troops stationed at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, where he spoke to uniformed troops as if they were his supporters at a campaign rally. “There’s nobody been stronger than the military in terms of backing us, nobody. So I just want to thank you all,” the president said — propriety and American norms be damned.
But that’s not all he said.
“As you know, we won three elections, OK?” Trump told the troops. “And some people want us to do a fourth. I don’t know, I’ll have to think about that.”
He proceeded to talk up his caps that feature the words “Trump 2028,” which he referred to as “the hottest hat.”
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Commenting on autocracies around the world that have consolidated power, [Scott Cummings, a professor of legal ethics at the UCLA School of Law] noted that in none of these countries “do leaders do all the things that Trump is doing, take aim at all of these independent institutions, and then just walk away.” Rather, the professor added, authoritarians take these steps because they intend “to stay in power permanently.”
