What did Donald Trump do today?
He accidentally confirmed that military officers don't have to follow any illegal orders he might want to give.
Trump once again spent most of the day online, and devoted most of his posting energy to a subject that has been infuriating him all week: the simple fact that he cannot make anyone follow an illegal order. Last week, six Democratic members of Congress who are veterans of the armed forces or intelligence services posted a video reminding federal agents and servicemembers that they have a right and a duty to refuse to obey any illegal orders.
At least 25 of Trump's 44 posts today dealt with the subject, although some of those were duplicates, with Trump reposting the same content over and over. As usual, he railed against the "TRAITORS" who had "COMMITTED A CRIME OF SERIOUS PROPORTION [sic]" and repeated claims that it was "SEDITION" to claim that he couldn't give any order he wanted, laws be damned.
One of the posts was a picture of a plaque. Trump didn't identify it, but it's an unimpeachable source on how the professional United States military regards its duty to the Constitution and the law. It's from a monument on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point:
It's not clear how Trump found the image, which has been circulating online for at least a day now—but exclusively posted by people who actually read it, and understood that it refutes Trump's claims.
Why does this matter?
- It is still not illegal to say "you don't have to do illegal things."
- A great way to signal that you intend to give illegal orders that the American military won't want to obey is to get this upset when someone points out the military won't obey illegal orders.
- The United States Armed Forces are bound by their oath and honor to serve the people of the United States and the Constitution, not Donald Trump.
- There were more important things for a president to do today than rant and self-soothe on the internet—but apparently there was nothing more important to Donald Trump.