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Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis tore into President Trump on Wednesday. He denounced Trump as “the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people,” along with other choice words.
In a statement obtained by CNN, Mattis made his thoughts clear about how President Donald Trump is leading, or not leading, the country.
“We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.”
The fact that Mattis offered comments is significant considering he has remained mostly silent since he left the administration. However, recent events caused him to break his silence.
Mattis criticized the idea of using the military against American citizens as well.
“It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part,” said Mattis. “Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them.”
Trump’s recent photo op in front of a church was also mentioned:
“Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside,” said Mattis.
Related: Bishop Outraged by Trump Visit, ‘I just can’t believe what my eyes have seen’
President Trump used Twitter to respond to what Mattis said about his lack of leadership.
“Probably the only thing Barack Obama and I have in common is that we both had the honor of firing Jim Mattis, the world’s most overrated General. I asked for his letter of resignation, & felt great about. His nickname was ‘Chaos’, which I didn’t like, & changed it to ‘Mad Dog,'” wrote Trump.
“His primary strength was not military, but rather personal public relations. I gave him a new life, things to do, and battles to win, but he seldom ‘brought home the bacon’. I didn’t like his ‘leadership’ style or much else about him, and many others agree. Glad he is gone!”
Related: Defense Secretary Disagrees With Trump’s Stance on Protests, Now on ‘Shaky Ground’
In other news, people seeking free mobile phones should probably read this. Are folding phones really the future?
