President Donald Trump is now meeting with four-star general nominees personally, a notable departure from past practices that raises ethical concerns about the further mingling of political roles within the military's highest ranks.
A White House spokesperson confirmed Trump's meetings with candidates to be promoted with a fourth star, saying the meetings are meant to vet the officers' qualifications -- a claim that some experts are skeptical of and the president’s allies praise as a much needed change.
"President Trump wants to ensure our military is the greatest and most lethal fighting force in history, which is why he meets with four-star general nominees directly to ensure they are warfighters first -- not bureaucrats," Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, told Military.com in an emailed statement.
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The new process, as first reported by The New York Times, was required by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to the newspaper.
Expanding Trump's role in vetting future four-star generals comes amid a trend by this administration of tapping the military for the president's domestic agenda, including the creation of new militarized zones[2] along the southern U.S. border, deployments[3] to tamp down public protests[4] over immigration raids, and the use of troops to bolster immigration enforcement and deportations[5].
Trump has also been criticized for openly political speeches to the military[6], including an appearance at Fort Bragg in June where a crowd of troops were encouraged by the president to jeer elected officials and his political opponents.
Lindsay Cohn, an associate professor of national security at the U.S. Naval War College specializing in civilian-military relations who spoke to Military.com in her personal capacity, said the mingling of the White House and those generals could give an impression that politics and loyalty are at play.
"People are worried that this will give the impression, both to the military itself and to the public, that this is a personal loyalty test and that people will be selected based on how personally loyal they can convince him they are," Cohn told Military.com in an interview Wednesday. "That is not what you want in a democratic society with a democratic military."
Cohn noted it's not uncommon for the president to meet with four-star nominees whom he would be in frequent contact with, such as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs or those who would lead combatant commands in war zones. As of now, there are more than 30 four-star generals and admirals within the ranks.
Historically, the president would not be meeting with all potential and future candidates for those roles.
Legally, there is clear precedent for Trump to be involved in nominating those high-ranking officers as described in Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, which says the president "shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate" those top offices, including in the military.
Still, Trump's unprecedented rhetoric and aggressive deployment of the military to serve his political agenda is notable to some civilian-military relations experts.
The widespread deployment of troops to the southern border, as Military.com reported in an in-depth feature[7], has challenged long-standing constitutional norms of not utilizing deployments for law enforcement-related activities and immigration enforcement, experts said.
Additionally, Trump's orders to send Marines and the National Guard[8] to Los Angeles in June against Gov. Gavin Newsom's wishes to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and respond to protests led to troops detaining a civilian[9].
Last month, Military.com reported[10] that Trump's highly partisan speech at Fort Bragg where he attacked his political enemies was met with cheers and boos by the troops in attendance. Soldiers in the audience were also handpicked by commanders based on political leanings and physical appearance.
Cohn said it's a combination of Trump's speeches and his actions utilizing the military that have raised questions and concerns.
"If you combine that with some of the ways that the president speaks about the military and speaks in front of and to the military, what you do get is a sort of overall pattern of a president who seems to want to claim the military organization as a sort of personal tool," Cohn said. "As something that carries out his agenda and does so not just because they are obeying lawful orders, but because they are loyal to him."
However, Trump allies were quick to praise his vetting of four-star officers. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said those officers oversee "hugely consequential" roles and should be treated as such.
"Very welcome reform. I've long advocated for presidents to meet with 4-star nominees," Cotton wrote on X on Tuesday[11]. "I commend President Trump and Secretary Hegseth for treating these jobs with the seriousness they deserve."
Historically, the military has been seen as a nonpartisan entity. Often, the president's defense secretary is seen as a conduit between the Pentagon and White House.
Cohn said it's notable that Hegseth appears not to want to offer that buffer.
"That buffer role is usually played by the secretary of defense, who is a political appointee and can be political and can be partisan, but who is supposed to sort of serve as the space between the politics of the president and the president's activities and the uniformed military and the civilian members of the Department of Defense," Cohn said. "What this indicates to me is that Secretary Hegseth is not super interested in playing that role."
Related: Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance[12]
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