President Trump will address a group of West Point Military Academy graduates Saturday against a backdrop of disagreements with current and former military officials over his handling of demonstrations against racial injustice.
Former military officials have increasingly spoken out to rebuke Trump over his response to recent protests against the police-involved death of George Floyd and the president’s threat to dispatch active-duty troops to cities to quell violence and looting that accompanied some of the demonstrations.
In an extraordinary statement Thursday, the top U.S. general expressed regret for his involvement in Trump’s photo opportunity at St. John’s Episcopal Church earlier this month that followed an aggressive clearing of protesters. The general, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, noted that the military is traditionally apolitical. Continue reading.