Former secretary of defense: Trump is not fit to be commander in chief

Hours after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis submitted his scathing resignation letter to Trump Thursday, a man who once held the same position called out Trump’s lack of fitness for the Oval Office.

William Cohen, a Republican who represented Maine in the House and Senate and served as secretary of defense under President Bill Clinton, went on CNN to talk about the Mattis resignation. He was asked a blunt question: “Is the president fit to be commander in chief, in your view?”

Cohen answered simply, “In my judgement, no.”

Cohen went on, elaborating on how Trump has betrayed the interests of the United States of America.

“When it comes to the national security and the way he is dealing with our allies and the way he is betraying our interests, then I say no.”

In his resignation letter, Mattis laid out stark differences in his own worldview and that of Trump. Whereas Mattis believes “our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships,” Trump has spent two years alienating America’s traditional allies.

“From the start, Trump and Mattis displayed starkly different attitudes toward long-standing American alliances,” reports the Washington Post. “Trump threw Starburst candies on the table in front of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and berated British Prime Minister Theresa May; Mattis flew around the world thanking such allies for their contributions to American security.”  

Whereas Mattis knows “we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours,” such as Russia, Trump scrapes and bows before dictators like Vladimir Putin.

The final straw for Mattis appears to be Trump’s abrupt withdrawal of American troops from Syria. Trump made the decision without going through a thorough process to weigh the risks and outcomes, and over Mattis’ objections, according to the Post. Mattis and many others feared the withdrawal would be seen as a victory for Russia and Iran.

Even Fox News was forced to admit that Trump’s impulsive decision on Syria is a big win for Russia.

Trump’s reckless behavior is driving away one of the few respected members of his Cabinet, and leading even more people to conclude that he truly is unfit for office.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.