Trump announces Mattis as pick for defense secretary

In the latest stop on a “thank you” tour of states critical to his November 8 election win, Trump introduced his choice for defence secretary, General James Mattis, to a large crowd in North Carolina, near the Fort Bragg military base, which has deployed soldiers to 90 countries around the world.

As President-Elect Donald Trump came to North Carolina for the second top in his victory tour, the rainy, overcast weather kept Trump’s plane from landing in Fayetteville on Tuesday evening, diverting the flight to Raleigh.

Ryan told reporters Tuesday that it is “prudent” for Trump to accept congratulatory phone calls. “I think he does”. I saw such numbers. “You went out and pounded the pavement…and propelled to victory a grassroots movement the likes of which nobody has seen before”, Trump said. “One of the exceptional leaders of our time who has committed his life for the love of our country”, Trump said. Trump told a campaign-style rally in IN on December 1 that he would nominate the retired four-star general.

The pick, which was unofficially announced last week, means the retired Marine Corps general will be the first career officer to lead the Pentagon since just after World War II.

A law requiring a 10-year gap between military service and defense secretary was passed in 1947 and Congress amended it to seven years in 2008.

“It is worth having bipartisan hearings and debate before taking any action that could unintentionally disrupt the long established principle of civilian control of the military”, said Sen.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, vowed last week to oppose the waiver, and she was joined by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D., Ariz.), a Marine Corps veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee.

If even Barack Obama’s former Defense secretary is telling Democrats they should give General James Mattis a waiver, you can be darn sure that they’re playing risky games that put America (and the rest of the world) at risk. “If you didn’t get that waiver, there’ll be a lot of angry people”.

He added a Trump administration would work with other nations that share his mission on eliminating terrorism and promoting peace because “we want to strengthen our friendships and seek out new friendships”.

Trump’s Tuesday comments were made during the latest stop of his “thank you” tour of swing states which were vital to his win. The extreme circumstances of the Trump presidency-to-be – including a commander in chief who is both ignorant of military and worldwide affairs and prone to impulsiveness – strengthen the case for a Mattis exception.

Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary will be with him at a Tuesday night rally in North Carolina.

Yet Flynn, Trump’s incoming national security adviser, has gained prominence in Republican politics by fueling conspiracy theories and Islamophobic rhetoric that critics warn could create serious distractions – or alienate allies and embolden enemies – if it continues.”His job is to ensure that the White House is focused at all times on all of the threats that the United States faces overseas”, said Julianne Smith, a former deputy national security adviser to Vice-President Joe Biden. Great group of people.

Trump’s transition planning process has included numerous meetings in NY with potential advisers and job candidates.

He met Mattis in Nangarhar province in Afghanistan, “where we were in a tough fight in 2006”, Nicholson said.

The Tuesday appearance in Fayetteville will be followed by rallies in Iowa and MI later this week as Trump barnstorms the country to salute his supporters.