President-elect Trump was so effusive in his praise of ‘Mad-dog’ Mattis! Trump thought Mattis was a ‘tough guy’, a “true General’s General” (whatever that means), the “real deal” (Twitter, Small Wars Journal, NYT, Reuters, WP, NBC). Mattis, however, seems not to think so highly of Trump–at least, not today. According to a statement published in the Atlantic, Mattis (who tendered his resignation from the Trump administration over a year ago (BBC)) claims:
Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.
Trump responded to Mattis criticism by calling him “overrated” (Breitbart).
