3/28/2023 0 Comments General macmaster![]() ![]() But he certainly doesn’t do as much as he could to lessen those divisions and bring us back together. I don’t think Donald Trump invented these divisions. McMaster: These days, both reflect and magnify divisions in our society. Nicholas: Do you blame one candidate more than the other for the tone of the debate? This was a poor example of democracy internationally, but also within our own country. Nicholas: Trump made repeated interruptions throughout the debate. Our leaders should give voice to those of us who reject extremists and intolerance. Those of us who have more of a common identity as Americans and don’t judge people by race, color, creed, or sexual orientation-but have faith in our identity as Americans and in humanity-we tend to get drowned out by those on the extreme. And whenever you have a group at one end of the spectrum who define themselves in a particular way, you tend to get an equal and opposite reaction on the other end of the spectrum. It’s certainly a missed opportunity, but it also gives space to these groups that foment hatred and intolerance. Nicholas: Why would Trump not seize the chance to denounce white supremacists? Read: A far-right militant group has recruited thousands of police, soldiers, and veterans But you see that all melt away when they’re part of the team. They carry with them certain prejudices and predilections. As a military officer, it breaks my heart to see divisions, because what you see is people come into the Army from all different walks of life. What we’re undervaluing these days is the importance of bringing Americans back together to reinforce our common identity. To use a sports analogy, condemning white supremacists should be a layup for any leader. Nicholas: Do white-supremacist groups pose a national-security threat to the United States, and should the president condemn them more clearly and directly than he has to date? We need leaders who can bring us back together and generate confidence in our identity as Americans and as human beings. We have these centripetal forces in our society today, created by this interaction of identity politics with racism and bigotry. No leader should encourage any group that is based on a narrow identity that aims to supersede our identity as Americans. He said, of the Proud Boys-a far-right group of “Western chauvinists”-that they should “stand back, and stand by.” Is that an adequate response? Peter Nicholas: At the debate, Trump was asked to condemn white-nationalist groups. Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length. Though he’s not given to alarm or blame, he casts Trump as something of a destabilizing force in our politics. He worries that the president’s comments might leave such groups feeling emboldened. As he told me yesterday, he believes Trump needs to speak out more directly about the evils of white supremacy. Though McMaster isn’t likely to be the next James Mattis, who denounced Trump in a lengthy statement earlier this year, he’s not entirely neutral, either. And with Trump failing to clearly condemn white supremacists at Tuesday’s debate, maintaining silence might grow more untenable. With other Trump alumni taking clear sides, pressure increases on those who haven’t. Writing a review in The Washington Post about McMaster’s recent book, Battlegrounds, Ben Rhodes, a former deputy NSA in the Obama administration, concluded: “In it, we learn almost nothing about his interactions with Trump or his personal opinion of the man.”īut although that might be how McMaster wants it, it’s not an easy position to hold. On that score, McMaster has typically kept mum. He presumably knows plenty about the character of the 45th president and whether he’s fit to lead the free world. McMaster was part of a coterie of high-level advisers who met often with Trump, explaining global threats and laying out options for him to consider. ![]() The retired Army general served as Trump’s second national security adviser, leaving in early 2018 after about a year in the job. As the election nears, a parade of ex-administration officials and political advisers has come forward to denounce President Donald Trump and offer firsthand accounts of incompetence and venality running through his government. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |