Donald Trump risks support of US military after deriding SEAL commander in Osama bin Laden raid
- Trump suggests that former head of US Special Operations Command should have apprehended Osama bin Laden faster
- President’s remarks came amid broader questions about Trump’s relationship with military matters
US President Donald Trump has long put the American military at the centre of his presidential brand, tapping retired officers to serve as advisers, touting increases in defence spending, and citing support from troops and veterans as a sign of his success.
But the commander-in-chief has risked alienating parts of the military community by escalating a fight with one of its most revered members, retired Admiral William McRaven, amid other recent remarks and decisions that have fanned controversy in the ranks and among some who served.
In an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, Trump went after McRaven, the retired US Navy SEAL and Special Operations commander who oversaw the killing of Osama bin Laden and the capture of Saddam Hussein during his 37 years in the US military.
Trump derided McRaven as a “Hillary Clinton fan” and an “Obama backer” before suggesting that the four-star admiral, who recently left his post as chancellor of the University of Texas amid a battle with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, should have captured bin Laden faster.
“Wouldn’t it have been nice if we got Osama bin Laden a lot sooner than that, wouldn’t it have been nice?” the president said.
“You know, living – think of this – living in Pakistan, beautifully in Pakistan, in what I guess they considered a nice mansion, I don’t know, I’ve seen nicer. But living in Pakistan right next to the military academy, everybody in Pakistan knew he was there.”