Political Tribune

Donald Trump, GOP, Opinion

Trump’s Behind-The-Scenes Plea To Resigning Army Boss Leaked After Abrupt Exit

The president wanted the departing Army Secretary to hang on until after the midterm elections.

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The Secretary of the Army, David Driscoll, recently announced his resignation, becoming the latest in a series of Pentagon departures. Driscoll reportedly had major disagreements with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Now, a new report says Trump asked Driscoll for something he turned down.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that when Driscoll met with Trump to offer his resignation, Trump asked him to stay on through the midterm elections.

“At the White House meeting last week where Driscoll told Trump of his planned departure, he also voiced concerns to the president about the damage he said Hegseth was doing to the Army, people familiar with the conversation told The Post. Like others interviewed for this article, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation,” The Post reported.

A White House spokesperson “disputed the characterization of the meeting,” The Post added.

Hegseth, The Post reported, has “fired several of the Army’s generals, halted the advancement of other top officers and stymied some of Driscoll’s top Army modernization initiatives.”

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon spokesman named as a possible successor to Driscoll as Army secretary, denied reports of trouble at the Pentagon.

“The premise that the Department is in disarray is completely baseless and an insult to every dedicated professional and warfighter in this building,” Parnell added. “This is what reform looks like.”
“Trump’s suggestion that Driscoll stay reflected the Army secretary’s good standing within the White House, said those familiar with the matter,” the newspaper said. “For a time, Driscoll was seen as a potential replacement for Hegseth, whose early stumbles alarmed some top officials close to the president.”
Trump is believed to hold concerns that the Iran war will hurt his party in the midterm elections, with Reuters reporting this week that his aides are hoping for “calm” in the war in the two months before the midterms.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library. 
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Stephen Silver

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Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy.

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