Guy Snodgrass, who served as an aide to former Defense Secretary James “Mad Dog” Mattis, is releasing a tell-all book about his time dealing with President Donald Trump next week.
The book is meant to paint President Donald Trump in a negative light for not understanding the necessity of foreign militarism, but a war-weary public may see his writings in a different light.
Snodgrass will release his book, “Holding the Line: Inside Trump’s Pentagon with Secretary Mattis” on this coming Tuesday. In his book, he describes a commander-in-chief extremely displeased with US foreign policy, who rejects the idea that America needs to be the policeman of the world.
“What about Afghanistan?” Trump reportedly asked Mattis during a briefing. “How are we doing over there?”
Mattis responded with the military-industrial complex’s company line about needing occupational forces in the Middle East indefinitely, but President Trump was unimpressed by his response and interjected.
“We’re really not helping ourselves … We’re helping everyone else out there,” Trump said, according to the account of Snodgrass. “You know, Kazakhstan is a very rich country. On my last visit they kept saying, ‘Oh thank you, thank you.’ Well, why aren’t they paying us? Why aren’t they fighting?”
Trump was just getting heated up from there, demonstrating how his “America First” instincts naturally lend toward a non-interventionist foreign policy.
“Seriously, who gives a s— about Afghanistan?” Trump said, according to the account of Snodgrass. “So far we’re in for $7 trillion, fellas … $7 trillion including Iraq. Worst decision ever and we’re stuck with it.”
Since Mattis left the administration, President Trump has pushed for troops to be removed from Afghanistan. While talks with the Taliban have stalled in recent weeks, it is still a policy goal that the Trump administration hopes to execute in the near future.
We have been serving as policemen in Afghanistan, and that was not meant to be the job of our Great Soldiers, the finest on earth. Over the last four days, we have been hitting our Enemy harder than at any time in the last ten years!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 9, 2019
He also pulled troops from Northern Syria earlier this month, in a controversial move derided by the experts that ultimately resulted in a permanent ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurds.
Big success on the Turkey/Syria Border. Safe Zone created! Ceasefire has held and combat missions have ended. Kurds are safe and have worked very nicely with us. Captured ISIS prisoners secured. I will be making a statement at 11:00 A.M. from the White House. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2019
President Trump correctly lays the blame on the interventionist policies of his predecessor for the carnage that has laid waste to Syria, and speaks truths about the disastrous US foreign policy that no other president would ever dare to bring up.
"Eight long years after President Obama's ill-fated push at regime change, U.S. troops are still on the ground in Syria. More than half a million people are dead, hundreds of thousands are terribly injured, and millions more Syrians are displaced." pic.twitter.com/Rwao9HNbIA
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 23, 2019
Snodgrass’ upcoming book may have the opposite effect as he intends, as his supposed hit piece will show a President with a passionate dedication toward changing failed policies in the Middle East.
