Bill Kristol: "The point to be transmitted . . . is "This is Donald Trump's military.'"

[tblue37]

https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/billkristolbulwark.bsky.social/post/3lzvrf3lni22y

"Trump will be the headliner at Tuesday’s show. Hegseth will be the undercard.

The point to be transmitted to the assembled generals, to all their troops watching at home and abroad, and to the American people, will be this: This is Donald Trump’s military."

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

1. Once again, TSF thinks something that belongs to American citizens is his personal property.

[tblue37]

2. Trump once said he wants the kind of generals Hitler had.

[Efilroft Sul]

3. He does realize that Hitler's generals served a loser and lost a war.

[Wounded Bear]

13. A great deal of that was because Hitler fired all of the good generals...

or almost all of them.

One could argue that Germany would have lost anyway, but Hitler's firing of generals and incessant meddling in strategy and tactics definitely sped the process up.

[regnaD kciN]

4. You mean, ones that lose a world war...

…because they let their incompetent Führer overrule them on military strategy?

[MrWowWow]

5. Trump: "I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had'

Trump: "I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had"

— The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-military-generals-hitler/680327/

Trump said Hitler ‘did some good things’ and wanted generals like the Nazis, former chief of staff Kelly claims

— PBS NewsHour
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-said-hitler-did-some-good-things-and-wanted-generals-like-the-nazis-former-chief-of-staff-kelly-claims

Trump Attacks The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg Over Hitler

— The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-attacks-atlantics-jeffrey-goldberg-over-hitler/680422

[2naSalit]

6. Maybe he'll get them!

[Ilsa]

18. I loved it when Gen. Milley or another general

told trump that some of Hitler's generals tried to kill him. Big surprise to the orange fascist.

[tblue37]

7. Trump thinks these are generals & admirals from other countries!

https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/jozienty.bsky.social/post/3lzw3pjprok2b

From the NYT:

Mr. Trump appeared unfamiliar with the meeting when he was asked about it during an Oval Office appearance on Thursday, but he quickly said it was good that Mr. Hegseth had organized it.

“Let him be friendly with the generals and admirals from all over the world,” Mr. Trump said. “You act like this is a bad thing. Isn’t it nice that people are coming from all over the world to be with us?”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/us/politics/trump-hegseth-military.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pU8.y92V.W8Qn4iATPi4p&smid=url-share

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. Knowing that they are physically located all over the world does not mean he thinks they belong to other countries. . nt

[tblue37]

10. This sentence suggests that he thinks they are from other countries:

"Let him be friendly with the generals and admirals from all over the world,” Mr. Trump said. “You act like this is a bad thing. Isn’t it nice that people are coming from all over the world to be with us?”

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. It can be read that way, and it is possible, but I think unlikely even for the Imbecile-in-Chief. . . . nt

[tblue37]

14. I think it sounds just like his mush-mind's way of thinking.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

15. Exactly. Orange mush up there. . . . . nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. That's the point they want promoted, but it is not clear that it IS "his".

Might be loosely his for the time being, but we'll see what their limits are if there are more developments.

Military leaders voice concern over Hegseth's new Pentagon strategy

Source: Washington Post
September 29, 2025 at 6:58 p.m. EDT

Military leaders have raised serious concerns with the Trump administration’s forthcoming defense strategy, exposing a divide between the Pentagon’s political and uniformed leadership as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summons top brass to a highly unusual summit in Virginia on Tuesday, according to eight current and former officials.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=post&post&forum=1014&pid=3539359

[tblue37]

12. Bill Kristol: "The point will be a propaganda spectacle for their troops and the public."

https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/billkristolbulwark.bsky.social/post/3lzqmigsrdk2f

Two points on Tuesday's Quantico conclave of the generals:

1. Surely Trump will be featured. Hegseth will be the undercard.

2. The point will be to showcase Trump's power. It won't be to convince the generals of anything. The point will be a propaganda spectacle for their troops and the public.

[tblue37]

16. Bill Kristol is on point about this:

"Strengthening our national defense is not the point of the gathering [of the generals]. The point is "the optics of power.” And not the optics of American power. The point is the optics of Donald Trump' power.

https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/billkristolbulwark.bsky.social/post/3lzqlsg27p22b

[lefthandedskyhook]

17. Bill Kristol

He joined the neocons and helped to instigate the US war on Iraq. I do not respect this action

[tblue37]

20. True--many of the Never Trump conservatives were very, very wrong, but they are now fighting the good

fight on our side.

They will no doubt turn stupid again post-Trump, but until then, I welcome their support.

[choie]

19. Correct.

Fuck your oath to the constitution - your loyalty is to trump.

[misanthrope]

21. That is exactly correct

That is why they didn't let it be known from the start that Trump was going to "drop by."