Former Defense Secretary James Mattis was so worried that former President Trump would order a nuclear strike against North Korea that he slept in gym clothes in case of an emergency overnight call and spent private time at the National Cathedral praying that war could be avoided, according to revelations in a new book by journalist Bob Woodward.
The book — which Trump has already publicly decried — also details extensive death threats by Trump supporters against former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley after he had a public falling out with the commander-in-chief.
Milley also expressed concern that Trump could recall him to active duty to put him on trial for treason if he is re-elected to office, a plan that Woodward writes Trump considered for other critical former military leaders during his first term in the White House.
“No one has ever been as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump,” Milley told Woodward in a 2023 interview for the book, entitled “War,” a copy of which was obtained by Military Times ahead of its release this week.
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The volume chronicles the end of Trump’s presidency and the last four years of Joe Biden’s time as commander-in-chief. It’s critical of both men but more so of Trump, suggesting that numerous military leaders worry about his potential return to the Oval Office.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, said in a statement to the Associated Press that none of the stories in Woodward’s books are true and called the publication “the work of a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Woodward in the book that Milley paid to install bulletproof glass and blast-proof curtains at his home because of threats stemming from Trump supporters, even though he has been given around-the-clock security from federal agencies since his military retirement.
He also detailed to Woodward multiple behind-the-scenes incidents where Trump asked to use U.S. military forces on American soil, potentially in violation of federal law.
This weekend, during a Fox News interview, Trump suggested he may use National Guard and active-duty military forces against “radical left lunatics” he claims are working to undermine stability in America. He has also suggested using the military to respond to immigration problems.
Mattis served as secretary of defense from 2017 to 2019, one of five men to serve in the post during Trump’s four years in the White House. Woodward writes that Mattis viewed Trump as erratic, and worried that he may order drastic military action without fully considering the consequences.
Woodward has previously written four books about the Trump presidency, to which the former president has largely had negative reactions.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
