The United States finds itself in a peculiar predicament where the choice between Biden and Trump feels more like picking the ‘less bad’ option
The United States of America has a strange conundrum of choosing the ‘less bad’ Presidential option amongst geriatrics in Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump. One concerned set of constituents is the fraternity of retired service personnel (from US Armed Forces) or simply, Veterans. Given the size and scale of the standing US Armed Forces and the accompanying global deployments, it is unsurprising that the Veterans community is over 18 million strong. As the US has had a consistent history of ongoing combat duties, Veterans evoke an emotional and hallowed position in the American consciousness. The longstanding American norm of walking up and shaking the hands of a Veteran by saying, “Thank you for your services” is a sacred culture that exemplifies the hallowed position afforded to Veterans, across the partisan and societal divide.
Of the 46 US Presidents to date, an unprecedented 31 had done military service testifying to the image of the ‘Uniform’, in public reverence. At one time, ‘Uniform’ was considered a political millstone for prospective Presidency. Sadly, it is a normalcy on the decline. Today neither of the two Presidential candidates i.e., Trump or Biden, fit the bill on this score. On the contrary, Biden does himself no good by defending his five-student draft deferments, whereas Donald Trump is infamous for his five conscription deferments, during the Vietnam War. In recent times, even the likes of Bill Clinton and George W Bush (with his specious service with the Air National Guard) were criticised for lack of experience. The implicit fear was that as the Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces, a President bereft of Military Service would be unversed and unempathetic to the institutional realities and Veteran concerns. George H.W. Bush was the last US President to serve in combat.
While the campaign spiel and competitive claims by both the contesting candidates towards Veterans in the 2024 Presidential Elections will bear prominence, the fact is that neither of the two is seen as genuine representative of the realm. While Biden has routinely invoked the Military Service of his late son, Beau Biden, to burnish his militaristic association, it remains an artful contextualization as Beau’s service was that of Judge Advocate General in Iraq for a year – later, Beau had died owing to brain cancer. Many Veterans have questioned Biden’s sincerity like the incident of the Air Force Veteran accosting Biden at an event, “I’m an Air Force veteran. I’m here with an Army veteran. We are just wondering why we should vote for someone who voted for a war and enabled a war that killed thousands of our brothers and sisters, countless Iraqi civilians.”
However, even though Republicans always enjoyed a historical bias in terms of Veteran traction, given its conservative and overtly ‘nationalistic’ moorings, Trump is not exactly in the mould of Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush etc., Trump’sRepublicanism is more anchored in the commercial sensibilities of its affluent elites, as opposed to martial traditions of Military families that breed reserves of selfless character. Therefore, Trump has had to appropriate the apolitical institution of the Armed Forces with his misplaced commentary of ‘My Generals, walk at Lafayette Square etc., and suchlike unwarranted usurpations. Ironically, he has even pooh-poohed the Veterans with utter disdain whenever his instincts have taken over. Trump’s former Chief of Staff, John Kelley, has confirmed Trump’s apathy, “A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person who did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘It doesn’t look good for me”. Even Trump’s contempt for ‘Gold Star’ Military families owing to their faith or dislike for rivals like the revered Senator John McCain (distinguished Veteran) or even his purported query about a wounded Army Captain at an event with a query, “Why do you bring people like that here?” and added for the measure, “No one wants to see that, the wounded.” reflects the real amorality of Trump.
Even Trump’s Defence Secretary and legendary warrior, General James Mattis who was eventually, ‘the last adult in the room’, testified to the inadvertent bluster that was postured as faux ‘muscularity’ in Trump’s drumming and demeanour. Mattis the proud and apolitical Veteran had mustered all the correctness that he could manage in his resignation note when he suggested that Trump needed a Defense Secretary ‘whose views are better aligned to yours’ – suggesting that no professional, balanced or self-respecting individual could align with an unhinged Trump. Veterans who served partisan governments, couldn’t possibly see individual leaders as bigger entities, than the Constitutional morality of the land.
Today both Biden and Trump attempt to profess more sensitivity, care, and concern for the Veterans, and like the choice generally, it is yet another case of a ‘less bad’, rather than ‘good’ choice. America’s future as a Superpower is predicated on its commitment to the ‘Armed Forces’ and their associated domain of Veteran Affairs, yet neither of the contestants demonstrates a familial or topical urgency towards the Veterans. Therefore, partisanship aside, many Veterans feel that their service has been taken for granted and they have no better choice.
(The writer, a military veteran, is a former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry. The views expressed are personal)
