- cross-posted to:
- usa@lemmy.ml
- politics@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- usa@lemmy.ml
- politics@lemmy.world
The Republican nomineeās preoccupation with dictators, and his disdain for the American military, is deepening.
In April 2020, Vanessa GuillĆ©n, a 20-year-old Army private, was bludgeoned to death by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood, in Texas. The killer, aided by his girlfriend, burned GuillĆ©nās body. GuillĆ©nās remains were discovered two months later, buried in a riverbank near the base, after a massive search.
GuillĆ©n, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, grew up in Houston, and her murder sparked outrage across Texas and beyond. Fort Hood had become known as a particularly perilous assignment for female soldiers, and members of Congress took up the cause of reform. Shortly after her remains were discovered, President Donald Trump himself invited the GuillĆ©n family to the White House. With GuillĆ©nās mother seated beside him, Trump spent 25 minutes with the family as television cameras recorded the scene.
In the meeting, Trump maintained a dignified posture and expressed sympathy to GuillĆ©nās mother. āI saw what happened to your daughter Vanessa, who was a spectacular person, and respected and loved by everybody, including in the military,ā Trump said. Later in the conversation, he made a promise: āIf I can help you out with the funeral, Iāll helpāIāll help you with that,ā he said. āIāll help you out. Financially, Iāll help you.ā
ā¦
Trump became angry. āIt doesnāt cost 60,000 bucks to bury a fucking Mexican!ā He turned to his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and issued an order: āDonāt pay it!ā Later that day, he was still agitated. āCan you believe it?ā he said, according to a witness. āFucking people, trying to rip me off.ā
ā¦
The personal qualities displayed by Trump in his reaction to the cost of the GuillĆ©n funeralācontempt, rage, parsimony, racismāhardly surprised his inner circle. Trump has frequently voiced his disdain for those who serve in the military and for their devotion to duty, honor, and sacrifice. Former generals who have worked for Trump say that the sole military virtue he prizes is obedience. As his presidency drew to a close, and in the years since, he has become more and more interested in the advantages of dictatorship, and the absolute control over the military that he believes it would deliver. āI need the kind of generals that Hitler had,ā Trump said in a private conversation in the White House, according to two people who heard him say this. āPeople who were totally loyal to him, that follow orders.ā (āThis is absolutely false,ā Pfeiffer wrote in an email. āPresident Trump never said this.ā)
Iāll eat multiple dicks at every meal for a week if the orange nugget can name a single āgeneralā.