Former President Donald Trump suggested launching missiles into Mexico to destroy cartels' drug labs, the former defense secretary Mark Esper wrote in his upcoming memoir, according to The New York Times.
Several excerpts from Esper's book, A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times, were published by the Times on Thursday. The memoir will be published on May 10.
Esper, who served as defense secretary from July 2019 until November 2020, wrote in the book that Trump had become increasingly unhappy about drugs coming through the Mexican border.
In a meeting with the then-president in the summer of 2020, Esper wrote that Trump suggested at least twice that the US military could "shoot missiles into Mexico to destroy the drug labs," according to The Times.
"They don't have control of their own country," Trump said about Mexico, according to Esper.
Esper said he had objected to the idea at the time.
But according to him, Trump responded by proposing they "just shoot some Patriot missiles and take out the labs, quietly", adding that "no one would know it was us," according to The Times.
The former defense secretary said he initially thought Trump was joking, but then realized he wasn't when he looked him in the face, The Times reported.
(Sophia Ankel. “Trump suggested launching missiles into Mexico to destroy cartels' drug labs, former defense secretary says.” https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-suggested-bombing-drug-cartel-labs-mexico-ex-defense-chief-2022-5. Business Insider. May 06, 2022.)
Just when you thought you had heard the craziest of the Trump craziness, new information comes out on Trump's desire to fire missiles into Mexico. And, it didn't take long to find out how deep the family insanity goes, as Donald Trump Jr. – long suspected of harboring his own political ambitions – defended his father from claims made by former Defense Secretary Mark Esper. I wonder if Jr. realizes his words are an affirmation of his father's ignorant actions.
After the Esper revelation, Donald Jr. tweeted: “I’m still trying to figure out the recent media outrage about my father possibly wanting to target Mexican drug cartel manufacturing facilities in Mexico… Is that supposed to be a bad thing???”
(David Moye. “Donald Trump Jr. Doesn't Get Why His Dad Shouldn't Bomb Mexico.” HuffPost. May 06, 2022.)
According to Axios, Esper’s upcoming memoir was vetted “at the highest levels of the Pentagon” and cleared by Cabinet members, senior civilians and “dozens” of 4-star generals.
In his book, Esper recounts several heated debates with Trump, whom he describes as an "unprincipled person who, given his self-interest, should not be in the position of public service," as per The Times.
Esper said that he especially did not support Trump's idea of "shooting" demonstrators who were protesting the police killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020.
“No one would know it was us."
-Trump after Esper objected to firing missiles into Mexico
According to Axios, Esper wrote that Trump made the remarks in June 2020, when demonstrations took the US by storm in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police.
Trump reportedly said: “Can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?"
Esper also claims that Trump became ‘increasingly frustrated’ with the public’s response to Floyd’s killing at the hands of law enforcement.
(Mike Allen. “Scoop: Esper says Trump wanted to shoot protesters.” https://www.axios.com/2022/05/02/mark-esper-book-trump-protesters. Axios AM. May 02, 2022.)
"It was surreal, sitting in front of the Resolute desk, inside the Oval Office, with this idea weighing heavily in the air, and the president red faced and complaining loudly about the protests under way in Washington, D.C.," Esper wrote according to an excerpt first published by Axios last week.
Shortly after the US presidential election in November 2020, Trump announced on Twitter that he had "terminated" Esper from his position.
(Sophia Ankel. “Trump suggested launching missiles into Mexico to destroy cartels' drug labs, former defense secretary says.” Business Insider. May 06, 2022.)
Axios also reported about that Trump made other statements condoning and encouraging violence throughout his presidency. Here are some notable occurrences:
July 2017: During a speech to law enforcement officers in Long Island, New York, Trump seemingly encouraged police officers to be rough with people they were arresting, per ABC News. "Please don't be too nice," he told the audience.
August 2017: In the aftermath of the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump failed to unequivocally condemn the violence and said "many sides" were to blame, failing to distinguish between those who participated in the "Unite the Right" rally and those who showed up in opposition to it.
October 2018: While speaking at a Montana campaign rally, Trump publicly praised Montana's then-Rep. Greg Gianforte (R) – the state's current governor – for previously assaulting a reporter. "Any guy that can do a body slam, he is my type!" Trump said.
October 2019: A New York Times report outlined various strategies Trump had allegedly deliberated to keep migrants away from the U.S. southern border, including a water-filled trench with snakes or alligators and shooting migrants in the legs to slow them down.
May 2020: Trump used violent rhetoric when referring to protests in Minneapolis in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, tweeting, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." The phrase has a racist history going back to police brutality against Black Americans in the 1960s, per the New York Times.
June 2020: Trump threatened to use the U.S. military to quell Black Lives Matter protests across the country. "If a city or state refuses to take the actions necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them," Trump said.
August 2020: Trump expressed interest in sending the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, to confront protesters, per Vox. "We could fix Portland in, I would say, 45 minutes," Trump said.
September 2020: Trump lauded law enforcement officers for killing Michael Forest Reinoehl, a self-described Antifa member suspected of killing a right-wing activist the previous month. "That’s the way it has to be. There has to be retribution," Vox reported.
September 2020: When offered the chance to unequivocally condemn white supremacist violence during the first presidential debate, Trump failed to do so, instead telling the far-right Proud Boys that they should "stand back and stand by."
January 2021: At a rally preceding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Trump repeated false claims that the 2020 election had been stolen and told supporters that "we're going to walk down to the Capitol," adding that "you'll never take back our country with weakness."
What Next?
OK, the end result gets so much more bizarre when you consider (1) Why are we just learning about this? (Possible answer – last year, Esper said he was suing the Defense Department over his upcoming memoir, claiming it had blocked parts of it "under the guise of classification.") and (2) So many people will hear about the latest case of Trump's insanity and gross incompetence but will not care.
Excuse my French, but Trumpers just don't give a fuck how corrupt and inept Donald Trump is. Remember, this is the same guy tho gave the infamous speech declaring that he could "shoot somebody" in broad daylight without losing voters. I think he was serious, and, unfortunately, I think he is dead right.
Here's the thing – the political climate is right for a person like Trump because many Americans – especially those in the middle class – believe he’ll cut their taxes, support their guns and religion, and basically do their will. They see themselves as largely forgotten, ignored, and disrespected people.
As a potential savior, Trump appeals to them in their hour of desperation because he promises a return to their more glorious past – a time of increased White privilege and nationalism much more to their liking … a time when their fragility did not cause them nightmares and the vast majority was of a pale race.
These Trumpers believe Democrats do evil things … even commit murder … on a regular basis and get away with it. In reality, they scapegoat others for their own condition. Too many conservatives have convinced themselves that it's only fair to let Trump get away with similar things, even though the bad things he's doing are all too real and not from the realm of fevered conspiracy theory.
Trump voters are not themselves amoral, but they are sold on an attitude called “what-about-ism.” It is anchored in the belief that the other side does it just as much, and it allows them to tell themselves that their side can be as shady and corrupt as they want to be because Democrats do it, too. These conservatives rely on conspiracy theories to justify their continued belief that Democrats are just as corrupt as Republicans, if not more so.
(Ron Stagg. “Why hard-core Trump supporters ignore his lies.” The Conversation. September 20, 2020.)
One particular conspiracy theory the Trump faithful believes is grounded in xenophobia – the fear that America is under attack by foreigners, including Mexicans and Central Americans crossing the southern border. This is their “go-to” diversion when faced with facts about Trump's corruption and deceit. They have even resurrected the hawkish pro-Vietnam War cries of “My country right or wrong!” and “America, love it or leave it!” to bolster bandwagon support.
These Trump supporters think they are taking a stand for American values; however, they are very often the twisted values of one slice of American society. Diversity frightens them just as much as Trump's claims that immigrants are “rapists and murderers flowing freely into the country." And, let's not forget that Fox slants the latest news and frames it to favor their Republican Party – they even think any conflicting view is “fake news.”
Final Word
"I had a meeting at the Pentagon with lots of generals ... they were like from a movie, better looking than Tom Cruise and stronger. And I had more generals than I've ever seen."
– Donald Trump describing a Cabinet meeting in 2019
I can hear some of my friends who share my views saying, “Why write about someone who isn’t the president anymore? Why give him oxygen? After all, he feeds on any exposure.”
My answer – this is not old news, and people should be aware of what Trump is planning next. Trump desires his own revenge tour as he likely runs for president again. The threat posed by him is real and ongoing.
Writing for The Washington Post, contributing columnist Robert Kagan wrote, “Our constitutional crisis is already here.” He starts with this ominous tone: “The United States is heading into its greatest political and constitutional crisis since the Civil War, with a reasonable chance over the next three to four years of incidents of mass violence, a breakdown of federal authority, and the division of the country into warring red and blue enclaves.”
He added, “First, Donald Trump will be the Republican candidate for president in 2024. The hope and expectation that he would fade in visibility and influence have been delusional. He enjoys mammoth leads in the polls; he is building a massive campaign war chest; and at this moment the Democratic ticket looks vulnerable. Barring health problems, he is running. Second, Trump and his Republican allies are actively preparing to ensure his victory by whatever means necessary.”
(Tom Jones. “Why keep writing about Trump? Here’s why.” Poynter Institute for Media Studies. September 27, 2021.)
Republicans continue to bray about the ineffective southern border and the rising cost of gas while the U.S. struggles with its role in democracy in war-town Ukraine and how best to support the Ukrainian people. If he would be reelected, Lord knows what Trump will propose – he may want our military to use missiles to solve every world problem … eventually aiming and firing them into Mexico and Russia.
And, be assured, if this happened, the Trump faithful would be fully behind their fearless leader's most outrageous actions, waving their MAGA flags and screaming “Shoot them again!”
Let Us Have Madness
Let us have madness
openly.
O men Of my generation.
Let us follow
The footsteps
of this slaughtered age:
See it trail across Time's dim land
Into
the closed house of eternity
With the noise that dying has,
With
the face that dead things wear –
nor ever say
We wanted
more; we looked to find
An open door, an utter deed of
love,
Transforming day's evil darkness;
but We found extended
hell and fog Upon the earth,
and within the head
A rotting bog
of lean huge graves.
By American poet
and novelist Kenneth Patchen (1911-1972)
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