Mattis's Rebuke of Trump Is a Big Deal
Rarely has a former defense secretary publicly criticized a president he once served — and never in such harsh terms.
Not mincing words.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty
Get Jonathan Bernstein’s newsletter every morning in your inbox. Click here to subscribe.
It's hard to get across what a big deal it is that former Defense Secretary James Mattis has not only publicly criticized President Donald Trump, but done so in extremely strong terms. In a statement issued Wednesday, Mattis talked about “those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution,” and said that “We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.” He added that Trump was engaged in a “deliberate attempt” to “divide us,” something he says no other president in his lifetime has done. (For the record, Mattis is 69, so he’s talking about everyone since Harry Truman.)