It’s something of a known factor in American politics that the military has, broadly speaking, tended to break to the right politically. The rank-and-file (and I use that term in the literal sense) generally do, although in recent years the flags and general officers have tended to toe the liberal line, the better to assure themselves of that next Congressionally-approved star.
Advertisement
Donald Trump is now launching an initiative to capitalize on that tendency. The Daily Caller broke the news:
The Trump campaign will launch “Veterans and Military Families for Trump” on Sunday, which is a coalition with over 175 endorsements from decorated Veterans, Gold Star families and more ahead of Memorial Day, the Daily Caller has first learned.
The campaign release for Sunday, obtained Saturday by the Caller, states:
Today, President Donald J. Trump announces, “Veterans and Military Families for Trump”, a Coalition with over 175 endorsements from decorated Veterans, Gold Star families, and heroes who love our country. This and every Memorial Day we honor and pay tribute to those patriots of service who have died. This somber day of remembrance should also inspire us to reflect and be grateful for those of service who remain and those still serving today while risking everything to defend our great nation.
The campaign says the coalition is launching ahead of Memorial Day, and will send out a release touting Trump’s military record compared to President Joe Biden and heavily criticizing Biden’s role as Commander-in-chief.
There’s a lot there to criticize.
Advertisement
See Related: Congressman Blasts Biden’s ‘Pattern of Abandonment,’ Helps Rescue Multiple Americans From Haiti
Biden’s Weakness and Bad Policy Have Now Led to More Trouble With Hamas and Hezbollah
The Biden administration’s record on military matters, we should remember, includes such non-stellar moments as the disastrous, disorganized withdrawal from Afghanistan. In fact, it’s possible to sum up the foreign policy achievements of the Biden presidency with one word: Impotent.
As the Commander-in-chief, the president is, to some degree, a military position itself, at least in wartime. During World War 2, despite never having served, Franklin Roosevelt was definitely involved in the conduct of the war, but he had good advisers, not least of which was Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall and Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King. I can say with some certainty as well that service members are in better spirits when they know that the National Command Authority (NCA), namely the president, has their best interests at heart. In the case of Joe Biden, that’s certainly questionable. It’s also good when the president has “been there, done that” himself, although the last president to have been in the military was George W. Bush, and the last to have served in combat was his father, George H.W. Bush, who was a naval aviator in the Pacific in World War 2.
Advertisement
Even so, it’s a safe bet that plenty of rank-and-file military, along with at least a plurality of veterans and the families of veterans, will prefer Trump over the befuddled Biden.
See Related: Trump Speech at the Libertarian National Convention Was a Wild Ride, but Had Some Cheering by End
Trump Was Booed Relentlessly at the LNC, Here’s Why That’s a Good Thing for Him
This is a group that the Trump campaign should not be taking for granted – and this initiative sure makes it look like they are not doing so.
The “Veterans and Military Families for Trump” has a webpage up here.