POLITICS
Who is Mark Milley? The US general who called Donald Trump a “wannabe dictator”
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a key advisor to the president but Milley and Trump had a major falling out.
Outgoing top brass Mark Milley made an apparent jab at former president Donald Trump in his outgoing speech.
“We don’t take an oath a king or queen or a tyrant or dictator. We don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We don’t take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution,” Milley said during a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall near Washington.
Milley was stepping down as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff position he had held since 1 October, 2019. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest-ranking military officer in the Department of Defense and serves as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council.
Mark Milley has had a distinguished military career and has served in various leadership roles in the US Army. He is a four-star general and has held positions such as Chief of Staff of the US. Army before becoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
During his tenure as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Milley was involved in coordinating the retreat from Afghanistan in 2021, as well as the assassination of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, Islamic State leader. Managing support for Ukraine in there war against Russia has been his final posting.
“Mark, your partnership has been invaluable to me,” Biden said.
But General Milley did not have as good a relationship with Donald Trump, the first president the military man worked under.
Milley and 6 January
Following the storming of the Capitol on 6 January, 2021, reports emerged suggesting that General Milley and other military leaders were concerned about the possibility of President Trump attempting to use the military to overturn the election results or maintain power. General Milley reportedly took steps to ensure that any military involvement in domestic politics would follow established legal and constitutional procedures.
“Look at his words - STUPID & VERY DANGEROUS!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform in an apparent response to Milley.
Trump had suggested last week that Milley should have been killed for a discussion with Chinese officials about the safety of the US in the wake of 6 January.
“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” Trump posted.
Speaking to CBS’s Norah O’Donnell in a “60 Minutes” clip released on Wednesday, Milley said he will “take appropriate measures” to ensure his and his family’s personal safety after the remark.