The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021

by Peter Baker

But the gulf between Trump and his generals was not really about money or practicalities, just as the endless policy battles were not only about clashing views of Afghanistan or North Korea or Syria. Their divide was wider than that—it was about what the generals believed in and what the president believed in. That was never clearer than when Trump told John Kelly about his vision for the parade. “Look, I don’t want any wounded guys in the parade. This doesn’t look good for me,” Trump said, explaining that in the Bastille Day parade in Paris there had been several formations of injured veterans, including wheelchair-bound soldiers who had lost legs and arms. Kelly, still early in his tenure, could not believe what he was hearing. “Those are the heroes,” Kelly told him. “In our society, there’s only one group of people that are more heroic than they are and they are buried over in Arlington.” Including, he did not add, his own son.