Former NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd on Tuesday melted down and scolded military veterans for not expressing outrage after President Donald Trump’s Saturday commencement address at West Point.
Trump wore a “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat during the speech, in which he outlined plans for the military and criticized political agendas in the armed forces. Todd, on NewsNation contributor Chris Cillizza’s “So What” Substack, criticized Trump’s speech and veterans’ lack of reaction to it. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Army Hit With Lawsuit After Stonewalling Inquiries Into West Point’s Removal Of Iconic Mission Statement)
“I do think we have to stop pretending, ‘Hey, it’s okay to behave this way.’ Donald Trump’s behavior is something that wouldn’t be tolerated under any walk of a life … The guy’s an asshole. And he’s intentionally an asshole,” Todd said. “And I get it … Every once in a while, you need an asshole … But he’s always that, right? … Look at his behavior at the commencement speech … [The right’s] virus is whataboutism. The fact of the matter is when [former President] Barack Obama didn’t have a crisp salute, it was outrage on the right about his inability to respect the military.”
“The most disrespectful speech an American president has ever given in front of military cadets was this weekend. And people didn’t blink. He couldn’t have behaved more inappropriately. He politicized the event. I mean, are you kidding me?” he added. “I guess the left has no credibility with military veterans … If you’re a military veteran and you’re not outraged by Donald Trump’s behavior, then shut up about being outraged about anyone else’s behaviors. You don’t ever get — ever — get to speak out about complaining about somebody if you’re not complaining about that grotesque display. Grotesque display of politicizing the military … we’re so numb we no longer think of it as that grotesque.”
Trump announced a “colossal buildup” of the U.S. Armed Forces during his speech, including a $1 trillion budget proposal and the development of a new “Golden Dome” missile defense system. He also acknowledged elite cadets — Rhodes scholars, Star Wreath recipients and the academy’s first two female diver school graduates — and shared the stage with them.
Moreover, the president criticized what he called “social projects and political causes” that have infiltrated the military.
“The job of the U.S. armed forces is not to host drag shows, but to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America anywhere, anytime,” Trump said.
Political analyst Mark Halperin said on Tuesday that he was baffled by Democrats’ continued belief that Trump’s style will lead to his political demise, citing Democratic sources telling him that they were outraged by Trump wearing the MAGA hat at West Point and the president’s Memorial Day Truth Social post, in which he harshly attacked Democrats.
“They’re back to a [Democratic California Sen.] Adam Schiffian — and Heather Cox Richardson — point of view, which is everything Trump does is an epic disaster and that the American people will turn on him and Republicans in the midterms because he’s impolite,” Halperin said.
“I find this so confusing because, again, I’m not approving of his Truth Social post,” he added. “I just think if you’re a Democrat and you’re trying to win politically, that talking about these Truth Social posts — like, if anything’s ever been priced into the stock of anything, it is this, I think.”
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