Politicization of the U.S. Military: Border Deployments, July 4th Display, National Guard Against Protesters, and Partisan Pressure on Military Leaders
Tier 3Documented2018-10-29 to 2021-01-20
Factual Summary
Throughout his first term, President Donald Trump used the U.S. military as a political instrument in ways that blurred the longstanding norm of separation between the armed forces and partisan politics. This pattern was documented through official military records, congressional testimony, contemporaneous reporting, and statements from senior military leaders who participated in the events and later expressed regret.
On October 29, 2018, one week before the midterm elections, the Pentagon announced it was deploying 5,200 active-duty troops to the southern border in response to a caravan of Central American migrants that was still approximately 1,000 miles from the U.S. border. Trump subsequently stated the number could increase to 10,000 or 15,000, a figure that surprised Pentagon officials. The deployment, named "Operation Faithful Patriot," cost an estimated $220 million. Internal Pentagon presentation slides obtained by reporters provided guidance on the role the November midterm elections could play in driving narratives around the caravan. Defense Secretary James Mattis said "We don't do stunts" in response to criticism, but multiple current and former military officials described the deployment as politically motivated. The troops had no law enforcement authority at the border, and the caravan did not arrive as a mass border-crossing event.
On July 4, 2019, Trump staged a military-themed Independence Day celebration titled "Salute to America" on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The event featured tanks positioned on flatbed trailers around the capital, military flyovers including a B-2 stealth bomber and fighter jets, and a speech by Trump at the Lincoln Memorial. The event cost approximately $5.4 million, including $2.45 million from the National Park Service (diverted from operating funds for national parks and recreation fees), $1.2 million from the Department of Defense, and $1.7 million from the District of Columbia. The event drained a special D.C. fund designed to pay for security during large events, putting it approximately $6 million in the red. Former presidents of both parties had traditionally treated the Fourth of July as a nonpartisan national celebration rather than a presidential showcase.
On June 1, 2020, during protests following the killing of George Floyd, law enforcement officers used chemical irritants and physical force to clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square near the White House. This created a path for Trump and senior officials, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley in combat fatigues, to walk to St. John's Episcopal Church, where Trump posed for photographs holding a Bible. The National Guard was deployed to Washington, D.C. during the protests, with approximately 5,000 Guard members activated. Trump had pushed for a more aggressive military response to the protests, and reporting by multiple journalists and authors documented that Trump demanded his military advisors take a harder line against demonstrators.
On June 11, 2020, General Milley issued a public apology for his participation in the Lafayette Square event. In a recorded commencement address to the National Defense University, Milley stated: "I should not have been there. My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics." Milley later drafted a resignation letter, never submitted, in which he wrote: "It is my belief that you were doing great and irreparable harm to my country. I believe that you have made a concerted effort over time to politicize the United States military." After consulting with former Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other national security officials, Milley decided to remain in his position and work to resist politicization from within.
Throughout his presidency, Trump also pressured military leaders on partisan matters, publicly criticized generals who disagreed with him, and made military promotions and command decisions a subject of public political commentary in ways that departed from the post-World War II norm of apolitical military leadership.
Primary Sources
1. Department of Defense records on Operation Faithful Patriot border deployment, October 2018
2. Government Accountability Office and National Park Service records on "Salute to America" costs, July 2019
3. General Mark Milley, commencement address to the National Defense University, June 11, 2020, available via C-SPAN
4. General Mark Milley draft resignation letter, reported in full by Susan Glasser and Peter Baker in "The Divider" (2022)
5. Pentagon internal presentation slides on border deployment messaging and midterm election narrative considerations
Corroborating Sources
1. NPR: "Gen. Mark Milley Apologizes For Appearing In A Photo-Op With President Trump," June 11, 2020
2. CNBC: "Trump's border deployments could cost $220 million as Pentagon sees no threat from migrant caravan," November 5, 2018
3. PBS: "Trump's Fourth of July event cost an estimated $5.4 million," November 2019
4. NBC News: "Trump's costly July Fourth event bankrupted Washington's security, anti-terror fund," September 2019
5. Military Times: "Milley says he was wrong to accompany Trump on church walk during George Floyd protests," June 11, 2020
6. The Hill: "Trump screamed at Milley over military crackdown on protests: book," June 2021
Counterarguments and Context
The Trump administration argued that the border deployment was a legitimate national security response to a potential mass migration event and that the military has historically supported border operations. Defenders noted that prior administrations, including the Obama administration, had deployed National Guard units to the border. Regarding the July 4th celebration, the White House argued that honoring the military on Independence Day was appropriate and that the event was open to the public rather than a partisan rally. On Lafayette Square, the administration contended that the area was cleared to enforce a curfew and expand a security perimeter, not to facilitate a photo opportunity, and a 2021 Interior Department Inspector General report found that the Park Police had planned to clear the area before learning of Trump's walk. Critics responded that the pattern of behavior, taken together, represented a sustained effort to use the military for political purposes: deploying troops to the border immediately before an election to amplify an immigration narrative, staging a personalized military display on a traditionally nonpartisan holiday, and walking through a forcibly cleared protest zone accompanied by the nation's top uniformed military officer. General Milley's own public apology and draft resignation letter represent the most significant evidence that the nation's senior military leader believed the politicization was real and damaging.
Author's Note
This entry is classified as Tier 3 because each incident is documented through primary evidence, including military records, official cost analyses, video recordings, and on-the-record statements from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Milley's public apology and his unpublished resignation letter, in which he directly accused the president of politicizing the military, constitute particularly significant primary evidence because they represent the assessment of the nation's highest-ranking military officer at the time.