Donald Trump suffers yet another high profile U.S. military resignation
When widely respected Secretary of Defense James Mattis resigned in protest of Donald Trump a few weeks ago, it felt like like a harbinger of things to come. It was widely expected that the U.S. military would turn against Trump; it was just a question of how soon and how strongly. Now it appears we’re starting to get our answer.
Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney is the Department of Defense Chief of Staff. Or at least he was, because he just announced his resignation. Sweeney isn’t specifically citing Donald Trump in his resignation letter, saying this instead: “After two years in the Pentagon, I’ve decided the time is right to return to the private sector. It has been an honor to serve again alongside the men and women of the Department of Defense.” It’s notable that he did not say it was an honor to serve under the President.
Of course Sweeney isn’t even the first to resign this week. The official spokesperson for the Department of Defense, Dana White, announced her resignation a few days ago. Turnover is reality in these kinds of jobs, particularly once you get a couple years into an administration. But this is not merely business as usual.
What makes this different is that it comes within the context of Donald Trump having suffered whole number multiples more resignations than any past U.S. President, and that it comes after General Mattis basically told the U.S. military to turn against Trump. Sure enough, military leaders are abandoning this guy by the day, and that can only serve to help finish him off sooner.
