When Donald Trump made a surprise visit to Iraq on the day after Christmas, the news of it was suppressed in a number of ways, not least of which was the fact that Air Force One traveled under an incognito callsign — causing speculation for hours among social media users about where the President might be traveling and why, until the White House finally announced what the plans were.
There’s a good reason for that. Trump is rightly concerned for his own safety, even if we think he’s a little more concerned for himself than most other Presidents might have been — scared, even. That could be the reason it took Trump two full years into his tenure to even visit a combat zone, while it took his predecessor just three months to do the same.
What about the safety of the troops, though? That seems like a silly question; their very job description requires that they place themselves in harm’s way so that Americans at home may be safe. But there’s no reason to unnecessarily threaten our forces’ security, especially if you are their boss, the Commander in Chief.
But that’s exactly what Trump did as he arrived at Al-Asad Airbase in Western Iraq.
It’s not that everyone, including enemy forces, didn’t know that America had troops stationed there. Obama may have ended the official Iraq War, but we will continue to have troops there for years to come, even if only to provide support for existing local forces. More importantly, the US uses those bases around the world where we are not necessarily at war as points of origin for missions, headquarters for ongoing support efforts, and transfer stations as our forces move from one place to another.
But the bad guys sure don’t know about which special forces troops are stationed or operating at which bases at any given time. That is, unless, say, the President of the United States demands a picture with the most impressive forces present, and unwittingly reveals the presence of, say, Seal Team Five at Al-Asad.
.@FLOTUS Melania and I were honored to visit our incredible troops at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.! pic.twitter.com/rDlhITDvm1
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2018
This is, of course, not the first time Trump has completely disregarded national security: He has accidentally left his unsecured cell phone, from which he’s called world leaders on private lines, sitting on the seat of a golf cart before. Oh, and that small matter of having sold out our democracy to Russia.
But Trump’s advance team couldn’t help but make things even worse for some of the soldiers present before the President even showed up by handing out political swag, such as MAGA hats and Trump flags, for the soldiers to display as Trump arrived. That, of course, violates the Uniform Code of Military Justice which prohibits political activity while in military uniform:
#maga hat contingent at Ramstein waiting for President Trump pic.twitter.com/18wdP87vZK
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) December 27, 2018
Trump flag (she dropped it after she saw me taking a photo) pic.twitter.com/LhPwUNdEK3
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) December 27, 2018
No doubt Trump, as in the case of demanding a picture with Seal Team Five, requested that soldiers look a little more enthusiastic to see him than they otherwise might have in plain old combat fatigues. I feel bad for the handful of soldiers who elected to do so — although if they’re Trump supporters outside their job, they clearly aren’t smart enough to keep from breaking the rules in the first place.
Featured image via screen capture
