Report: Trump Is Worried Mattis Is Secretly A Democrat

US President Donald Trump speaks alongside Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis (2nd R) as he holds a Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC, December 6, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB ... US President Donald Trump speaks alongside Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis (2nd R) as he holds a Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC, December 6, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

The relationship between President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary James Mattis has deteriorated to the point where Trump is worried that Mattis is secretly a Democrat, according to a Saturday New York Times story.

While Trump still publicly stands by his defense secretary, the Times paints a picture of a president who is increasingly resentful of Mattis’ apolitical stance and the perception that Mattis is the only adult in the room.

For his part, Mattis is reportedly getting tired of having to be that adult. He clashed with Trump over NATO and war games with South Korea, and the hiring of national security advisor deputy Mira Ricardel has further strained his relationship with the White House.

Mattis’ friends tell the Times that the defense secretary doesn’t want the military to be seen as a political tool. He avoids interviews so he won’t be seen publicly disagreeing with Trump, but he’s not willing to lavish Trump with praise.

That seems to be a problem for Trump, who’s made it clear that loyalty is crucial in his administration.

Latest News
165
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. He could be pink with green stars as long as he’s competent. Geesh

  2. Day 604: Still no Pivot.

  3. Avatar for tena tena says:

    :joy: :joy: :joy: :sunglasses:

    He is SO fucking cray cray!

  4. Whatever you do, Trumpp, don’t worry about whether he’s doing a good job.

    The Times paints a picture of a president who is increasingly resentful of Mattis’ apolitical stance and the perception that Mattis is the only adult in the room.

    Matt is doesn’t seem to be the problem there. It’s a good thing when your Secretary of Defense acts like an adult.

  5. Avatar for j.dave j.dave says:

    Trump is worried Mattis is secretly a Democrat an American.

    Fixed.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

159 more replies

Participants

Avatar for mondfledermaus Avatar for old_curmudgeon Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for crackerjack Avatar for impurescience Avatar for 26degreesrising Avatar for stradivarius50t3 Avatar for alyoshakaramazov1 Avatar for esva Avatar for leftcoaster Avatar for katwillow Avatar for darrtown Avatar for tena Avatar for misterneutron Avatar for jtx Avatar for susanintheoc Avatar for springfielder Avatar for not_so_fluffy Avatar for tompaine73 Avatar for eisenst Avatar for seamus42 Avatar for tim_berland Avatar for occamscoin Avatar for rascal_crone

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: