Former national security adviser H.R. McMaster said he believes both former Presidents Trump and Biden are “disconnected” from military values.
“President Biden and President Trump are disconnected from our professional military ethic and warrior ethos,” McMaster told NewsNation's Chris Styrewalt on “The Hill Sunday,” due to air this week. “They don't seem to understand why our brave men and women serve and why it's so important that we keep our military out of partisan politics.”
McMaster was referring to Trump's recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 400,000 active duty, veterans and former military personnel are buried.
President Trump visited the cemetery on Monday to take part in a wreath-laying ceremony marking the third anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the attack on Kabul airport.
According to reports, a clash broke out between Trump's staff and cemetery staff when former President Trump's photographer and campaign staff tried to enter the restricted area of Section 60. Trump's team allegedly shoved cemetery staff, and the Army defended the staff later this week.
Trump has come under heavy criticism for the altercation, as the cemetery has rules against politicizing or taking photos for political purposes.
McMaster said he thinks the criticism is valid.
“I don't think any candidate, any party, anybody should try to politicize the entire military, but it's even worse to try to politicize the people who have made the ultimate sacrifice in our name,” he said. “If this is a partisan act, I think it's right to condemn it … I mean, it's an act that advances a partisan political agenda, a campaign agenda.”
McMaster, who served in the Trump White House from February 2017 to April 2018, said the incident reminded him of his time working in the Biden White House. Visited Section 60 lays out the timeline for Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021.
Biden has also faced criticism over the withdrawal, which left 13 US troops dead, something the Trump campaign has used as leverage against the president during the election campaign.
McMaster said neither Biden nor Trump “seem to understand” why Americans serve in the military and “why it's so important to keep the military out of partisan politics.”
Biden's son Beau, who died of cancer in 2015, served as a major in the Delaware Army National Guard during the Iraq War.
McMaster said earlier this week that he would not serve in the Trump administration again if former President Donald Trump is re-elected in November, calling it an “honor” to work in the White House but describing his time working with Trump as complicated.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and the Trump campaign for comment.
