Former national security adviser H.R. McMaster said Monday that he had no plans to serve in a second Trump administration, noting that his talents were “kind of exhausted” under former President Donald Trump.
“No, Anderson, I'm willing to work for any administration where I feel like I can make a difference, but I'm tired of Donald Trump,” McMaster said. said During an interview Monday night, CNN's Anderson Cooper was asked whether the former president would run for office again if elected in November.
McMaster, who served in the White House from February 2017 to April 2018, said it was an “honor” to work in the Trump administration but painted a complicated picture of his time with the former president and noted some of the challenges he faced.
“The president has often been very aggressive, rude and outlandish,” McMaster said.
“But, you know, he's an extremely destructive individual,” he added. “I felt like my job wasn't to restrain him, but to help him destroy what needed to be destroyed.”
The comments come as many Republican lawmakers are pressuring the GOP candidate to focus more on policy and less on personal attacks against her Democratic rival, Vice President Harris.
The Republican candidate should tone down his comments, reduce personal attacks on his Democratic rival, Vice President Harris, and focus more on policy.
In an interview, McMaster spoke about his new book, “At War with Ourselves,” and said he hopes it will inspire people to work in government.
“One of the themes of 'At War with Ourselves' is, 'Yes, we are at war with ourselves.' That's not only bad for our psyche, it's bad for governance,” the former senior administration official said. “It's bad for the country. And I hope that young people who read this book will feel a calling to service.”
He noted that the book's tone emphasizes the honor of service over the difficulties of the job, and said, “It was an honor to have that job.”
The Hill/Decision Desk also updated its election forecast on Monday, tilting the races for the White House and Congress in favor of Harris and the Democrats, but all three races are expected to be close.
McMaster also suggested in an interview that he would not join an administration led by the vice president, citing different policy views.
“I don't know if I'd be effective there either,” he said of a hypothetical Harris administration, “maybe with my different perspective and what a sensible policy on the Middle East would be, or really fill in the blank, but anywhere I can make a difference.”
He added, “It's truly an honor to serve.”
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
