There are two misconceptions about President Donald Trump. First, that he runs a totally chaotic administration and there’s no method to his madness. Second, that he is a great supporter of the military. He himself frequently brags that the U.S. military has been rebuilt and is the strongest it has ever been.
The reality is different — and far darker. Trump is degrading and dishonoring the U.S. military. What’s more, he is doing so in a deliberate and systematic way.
That is why the news about Trump intervening in the case of convicted Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, overriding his commanding officers and ordering the Pentagon to let him keep his SEAL Trident, the Special Warfare insignia, is so important. What Trump is really signaling with this move goes far beyond pardoning a war criminal.