A president at war needs resolute advice, not cheerleading

How much does any incoming president truly understand about the horrors and unpredictability of war, and of the intelligence gathering behind the scenes that (hopefully) precedes it? In the lifetime of the most senior among us, only one president may have intuitively grasped those issues upon assuming the presidency: former World War II Supreme Allied Commander and five-star Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

Few presidents in recent decades have had any military experience. And there is nothing wrong with that, particularly as the draft was ended in December of 1972. But in a time of war, real-world military experience can be everything.   

Not since the end of the George H.W. Bush administration in 1992 have we had any commander in chief with combat experience. And without that experience, be they Bill Clinton, Geoge W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden or Donald Trump, that president is going to be completely dependent upon the military and intelligence experts at their disposal to make the proper real-time decisions leading up to “Go” or “No go.” 

It is exactly at those times that presidents need “adult in the room” thinking, and not cheerleaders.

No one understood that better than President Ronald Reagan. As he was about to be sworn in as president in January of 1981, he went against all conventional wisdom and advice, reaching out to James Baker — the man who had been campaign manager for both Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush — to be his chief of staff. Said Baker upon reflection of that unexpected decision: “You could have picked me up off the floor with a blotter, that he would go to someone who managed two campaigns against him and make him his White House Chief. Probably will never happen again in American politics.” 

Reagan wanted to hear every side on every consequential issue before him. Donald Trump has been the same way, since he first entered the business world. 

I believe Trump has brought more real-world, commonsense experience into the Oval Office than any president in our lifetimes. Far too many have been career politicians and could not relate to the old Calvin Coolidge quote, “The business of America is business.” Trump can. But sometimes, the “business of America” morphs into war.   

As Vice President JD Vance so accurately conveyed about Trump when answering a question regarding Joe Kent’s public resignation in protest from the National Counterterrorism Center: “I know the president very well. He welcomes differences of opinion. He likes it when people express their views on what should happen. He listens to everybody. One of the great things I like about him is whether you’re the gardener at Mar-a-Lago or whether you’re secretary of State, the president cares about what you think about history. He recognizes that everybody has wisdom.”

“That said,” Vance continued, “whatever your view is, when the president of the U.S. makes a decision, it’s your job to help make that decision as effective and successful as possible.” 

Trump is a fighter. He fought to build a global business empire, and now, over the course of the five-plus years of his presidency, he has fought for the American people and our nation.      

The president is, by instinct, a very tough guy. The attacks, abuse and smears he has had to endure over the last decade — including an assassination attempt, where his very first reaction was to jump back up and yell, “fight, fight, fight” — have only made him tougher. Those who advise him on a daily basis must not only understand that reality, but factor it into the process.   

His instinct now is to fight for his country. But to do so, Trump needs to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly surrounding every policy or potential military operation. As former heavy-weight champion boxer Mike Tyson – who Trump knows well — so accurately said back in 1987: “Everyone has a plan until they get hit for the first time.” 

President Trump is a man very secure in his own skin. He does not need to be showered in compliments by advisers. If and when the U.S. gets hit, he needs to hear every single well-reasoned recommendation, be it optimistic or somber. That is how you serve a president always ready to wade into the fight for the American people. 

Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official.