H.R. McMaster: Trump, Biden ‘disconnected’ from warrior ethos

Former national security adviser H.R. McMaster said he believes both former President Trump and President Biden are “disconnected” from military values.

“President Biden and President Trump are just disconnected, you know, from our professional military ethic and our warrior ethos,” McMaster told NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt in an episode of “The Hill Sunday,” set to air this week. “They don’t seem to understand, you know, why our courageous men and women serve, and why it’s so important not to drag our military into partisan politics.”

McMaster was referencing Trump’s recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 400,000 active duty, retired and former military members have been buried.

Trump visited the cemetery Monday to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the Kabul airport attack.

A confrontation among Trump’s staff and cemetery staff reportedly occurred when the former president’s photographers and campaign staff tried to enter Section 60, which is a restricted area. Trump’s team allegedly shoved a cemetery official to the side and the Army defended the employee later this week.

Trump has received sharp criticism over the altercation, because the cemetery has rules about politicizing and filming for political purposes.

McMaster said he thinks the criticism is justifiable.

“I think that neither candidate, no political party, nobody should try to politicize the military overall, but it’s even more egregious if you try to politicize those who made the ultimate sacrifice in our name,” he said. “This is behavior that I think is right to call out if it was partisan … you know promoting a partisan political agenda or a campaign agenda.”

McMaster, who served in Trump’s White House from February 2017 to April 2018, said the incident reminded him of when Biden visited Section 60 to announce the timeline for the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal.

Biden has also drawn criticism for the withdrawal, which left 13 U.S. service members dead. The Trump campaign has used it against the president this campaign cycle.

Neither Biden nor Trump “seem to understand” why Americans serve in the military and “why it’s so important not to drag our military into partisan politics,” McMaster said.

Biden’s son Beau, who died of cancer in 2015, served as a major in the Delaware Army National Guard during the Iraq war.

McMaster said earlier this week that he would not serve in the Trump administration again if the former president were reelected this November. He said it was a “privilege” to serve in the White House but painted a complex picture of his time working with Trump.

The Hill has reached out to the White House and Trump campaign for comment.