General Mark Milley: "We don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator."

[tblue37]

General Mark Milley:

"We don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator."

— Scott (@thegopisfubar2024.bsky.social) 2025-09-30T15:08:21.224Z

[sop]

1. The U.S. Military may be the only thing standing between Trump and the destruction of American democracy.

It's certainly not going to be Congress, the Courts or the Fourth Estate.

[NCDem47]

2. Gulp...we're running out of defenders other than citizens themselves.

[Permanut]

4. This x 1,000.

[RobinA]

7. Seriously?

These are guys who have been extremely successful in the most authoritarian body in the world - the military. They didn't get there by challenging the thousands of BS orders they've carried out in their careers. Look, we need good military guys, but I'm not expecting for one minute that they are standing between us and an authoritarian. To me it's still judges. The the exception of the supreme court (sic).

[C Moon]

14. I'm tired of looking for heroes from our authority figures.

I think they are all bending to trump because it’s easier to bend now and wait for him to die, than it is to look for a new job, lose pension or sit in political prison.

[markodochartaigh]

18. I seriously wonder

how many elected officials believe that our problems will be over when Trump is gone. I get that very many people in the general population cannot handle, or refuse to see, that Trump is merely tapping the wellspring of authoritarianism in the US, that Trump is the pustulent tumor on the cancer in the US body politic.
But I wonder how many national or state elected officials believe that Trump is the only problem. I'm beginning to think that I would be gobsmacked to see that many do.

[markodochartaigh]

16. "...only thing standing between Trump and the destruction of American democracy."

Well, there is also We, the People. Personally, I'm not real optimistic about us, but we shouldn't be left out in this discussion.

[SamuelTheThird]

17. I have some bad news for you

That ain't a left-leaning institution.

[COL Mustard]

19. No, but

They’ll follow the Constitution.

[sop]

20. One can be right-leaning and still resist illegal orders from an authoritarian president.

In 2020, "Trump told top US general to ‘just shoot’ racism protesters, book claims. Gen Mark Milley, the top US military leader, resisted Donald Trump’s demands that his forces 'crack skulls' and 'beat the fuck out' of protesters marching against police brutality and structural racism, according to a much-trailed new book...'Just shoot them,' the president reportedly said."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/25/donald-trump-general-mark-milley-crack-skulls

After the Lafayette Square incident Milley apologized for participating in a photo-op with Trump after peaceful protestors were forcefully cleared from Lafayette Square. Milley stated, "I should not have been there." Milley said the military's oath was to the Constitution, not to a "king, or a queen, or to a tyrant or dictator... or to a wannabe dictator." Trump will make sure officers like Milley will not be in command during his second term.

[SamuelTheThird]

21. You CAN be

As a whole, I don't think so

[sop]

22. It's why Trump staffed his second administration with blindly obedient loyalists who will follow his every order.

Now he wants to do the same with the U.S. military. Historically, the U.S. military has always resisted becoming involved in domestic politics, and they're prohibited from taking part in domestic law enforcement activities by the Posse Comitatus Act. All this will change if Trump CAN purge the military of honorable and principled officers (Democrat or Republican) and replace them with his own people.

[UTUSN]

3. K&R

[orangecrush]

5. KICK

[PatSeg]

6. Bravo, we need to hear more of this

[twodogsbarking]

8. Is it time to hand out blue and grey uniforms yet?

[JoseBalow]

15. We're getting close to that time

[skypilot]

9. Are there any CURRENT Generals...

...saying anything like this?

[jgmiller]

10. They can't say it and still keep their commission

While we would all like them to stand up and resign at once that's not a good idea. There are generals and admirals in that room that are MAGA of course but my guess is there are far more that are just as horrified as we are. If they quit then they are going to be replaced by the dangerous ones. The ones who respect the constitution and not Trump will hopefully already be planning to stay quiet but when the time is right to stand for the constitution and against the president. I hope it never comes to that but I really fear it will soon.

[rubbersole]

13. Not yet.

The first one is going to be braver than the first man to eat a raw oyster.
I don't want to sound like Pollyanna, but I think tsf and Kegsbreath poked the bear with a stick this morning. That had to be the most humiliating speech any of those military lifers have ever heard from a "commanding officer". Including boot camp.

[msongs]

11. oh grow up Milley, active duty ppl are what matters not pension collectors. the current crop of military

employees is what matters and one suspects they are gung ho for the "new" military that can just rape torture and murder with impunity.

[calimary]

12. Great quote! Eager to copy and use it.