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pbmus

(13,113 posts)
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 12:48 AM Oct 3

The SILENCE of the Generals




The silence of the generals, by Robert B. Hubbell

The most remarkable aspect of Trump’s speech to the assembled generals and admirals of the US military was the silence.

The generals sat in silence.

They sat in silence as Trump slurred and rambled through a “speech” that insulted the intelligence, professionalism, and loyalty of the generals.

They sat in silence as Trump attacked their former commander-in-chief, Joe Biden.

They sat in silence as Trump claimed that the military would use U.S. cities as “training grounds” for waging war against American civilians.

They sat in silence as Trump said he would ask the military to fight “the enemy from within.”

They sat in silence as Hegseth said the generals were free to ignore the law of war and international treaties that separate the US military from barbarians and war criminals.

They sat in silence as Trump said that the Navy should “consider the concept of battleship.”

They sat in silence as Trump wondered aloud why the generals sat in silence.

They sat in silence even after Trump pandered for their applause.

Their silence spoke volumes.

In their silence, the generals affirmed their oaths to defend the Constitution.

In their silence, the generals demonstrated their professionalism, discipline, and judgment.

It could have been otherwise. Trump and Hegseth expected it to be so. In their adolescent fantasies, Trump and Hegseth believed the generals would fête them with standing ovations, chanting, “USA! USA! USA!”

Instead, Trump and Hegseth were humiliated as their unhinged, delusional words slapped sharply against the bare walls and fell to the ground, their lunacy heightened by the silence of the generals.

Without the crutch and cover of cheering crowds, Trump’s mental deterioration was laid bare for all to see. Trump told the generals that the city of Portland “looks like a war zone. . . . unless they’re playing false tapes, this looked like World War II.”

Every general who heard Trump say that Portland “looks like a war zone” knew it was a lie and understood that their Commander-in-Chief is so feeble that he is unable to distinguish between reality and “false tapes” replayed on Fox News.

Every general who watched Pete Hegseth’s peurile speech immediately recognized him as one of the posers and video-game warriors that the generals identify as misfits to be counseled out of the military at the first opportunity.

The generals were not impressed by Trump or Hegseth. The generals are sophisticated, successful professionals who have risen to the top (in part) because of their ability to judge people—the good, the bad, and the flakes. They left the meeting understanding exactly who Trump and Hegseth are.

All Americans should take confidence and comfort from the silence of the generals. Their silence was an act of protest—because their silence exhibited loyalty to the Constitution and respect for the Office of the President, rather than for Donald Trump.

Prior to Trump’s meeting with the generals, dozens of readers forwarded Substack and social media posts claiming that Trump would use the occasion to declare martial law. Other readers sent posts claiming that Trump would administer a loyalty oath requiring fealty to Trump. Still others predicted on-the-spot mass firings and public humiliation of generals perceived to be disloyal.

In his final insult, Trump told the generals they looked like they came out of “central casting.” In doing so, he trivialized and demeaned their accomplishments and professionalism, telling them they were nothing more than props for infantile speeches by men who hold the military in contempt.

And so, the generals sat in silence, depriving Trump of the thing he values most--obsequious adulation.

The silence of the generals spoke volumes.
43 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The SILENCE of the Generals (Original Post) pbmus Oct 3 OP
Add the Silence of the Generals to the squeaky tank at the failed birthday parade and what you got? Bernardo de La Paz Oct 3 #1
That's the only part of the speech that mattered. The General's reaction. How many times did Trump evade Viet Nam? OAITW r.2.0 Oct 3 #2
"The Silence of the Generals" conveys the entire message. OAITW r.2.0 Oct 3 #3
Their sidearms would say a whole lot more. Frasier Balzov Oct 3 #4
Speaking of Military Correction, why hasn't the Russian Military corrected Putin? OAITW r.2.0 Oct 3 #5
I see what you're saying. Frasier Balzov Oct 3 #6
Watched it again, recently. I see a lotta Trump sycophants that are like Stalin's handmaidens. OAITW r.2.0 Oct 3 #9
Throw in "The Manchurian Canidate" by Richard Condon rubbersole Oct 3 #10
This message was self-deleted by its author Ocelot II Oct 3 #36
Man, I hope that this author is right! AZJonnie Oct 3 #7
Judging by the expressions on their faces, MarineCombatEngineer Oct 3 #15
Your bona-fides on the subject far exceed mine my friend! AZJonnie Oct 3 #42
or maybe they are silent because they will follow orders as usual nt msongs Oct 3 #8
Nope, MarineCombatEngineer Oct 3 #18
I sure hope you are right Bettie Oct 3 #19
These are not Been A Dick Donald appointees, unlike the JCoS, MarineCombatEngineer Oct 3 #21
I can only imagine what the Black and female officers must have been thinking Ocelot II Oct 3 #37
At your rank MCE I am pretty sure you spent some time with Generals. Prairie_Seagull Oct 3 #39
Not so much Generals, although there was a time or two, MarineCombatEngineer Oct 4 #43
Kicked and recommended Uncle Joe Oct 3 #11
That's for sure. ...nt Figarosmom Oct 3 #12
The idiot was right about something the other day: Smart people don't like him. Dave Bowman Oct 3 #13
Question: OneGrassRoot Oct 3 #14
Yeah, there was a difference, MarineCombatEngineer Oct 3 #17
Awesome to know! Thanks very much, MCE. n/t OneGrassRoot Oct 3 #35
"The silence of the generals spoke volumes." Paladin Oct 3 #16
A slither of hope in this post. kentuck Oct 3 #20
It's what they always do. Johnny2X2X Oct 3 #22
The look of contempt on their faces is not what they always do, MarineCombatEngineer Oct 3 #23
People see what they want to see Kaleva Oct 3 #24
Again, bullshit. MarineCombatEngineer Oct 3 #26
"addressed" isn't what I would say. Tetrachloride Oct 3 #29
Neither would I, MarineCombatEngineer Oct 3 #30
Where is the military's contempt for Trump's illegal orders to blow up small Venezuelan boats and kill dozens, sop Oct 3 #32
As I said in another post, MarineCombatEngineer Oct 3 #33
Look, I'm not going argue this, MarineCombatEngineer Oct 3 #31
I agree Kaleva Oct 3 #25
While it's true that a group of military officers won't be cheering and applauding a speech Ocelot II Oct 3 #38
They now must act Clouds Passing Oct 3 #27
It wasn't "The Sound of Silence." It was, in part, "Run Silent, Run Deep." (The Air Force would have something Tetrachloride Oct 3 #28
Generals don't cheer like MAGAs at a political rally. Ocelot II Oct 3 #34
Generals gathered in their masses, just like witches at black masses, evil minds that plot destruction. cayugafalls Oct 3 #40
You can tell they weren't impressed, but I'm not sure it matters all that much. D23MIURG23 Oct 3 #41

Bernardo de La Paz

(59,462 posts)
1. Add the Silence of the Generals to the squeaky tank at the failed birthday parade and what you got?
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 12:53 AM
Oct 3

A tin-pot wannabe tyrant who incompetently runs an incompetent administration.

OAITW r.2.0

(30,737 posts)
2. That's the only part of the speech that mattered. The General's reaction. How many times did Trump evade Viet Nam?
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 01:03 AM
Oct 3

Fuck him and his clown-puppet Hegseth for even attempting to humiliate the best we have.

OAITW r.2.0

(30,737 posts)
3. "The Silence of the Generals" conveys the entire message.
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 01:08 AM
Oct 3

If you are a 34x convicted criminal....how confident are you - in this moment - with your political future?

Frasier Balzov

(4,610 posts)
4. Their sidearms would say a whole lot more.
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 01:09 AM
Oct 3

But I presume they were required to check them at the door.

OAITW r.2.0

(30,737 posts)
5. Speaking of Military Correction, why hasn't the Russian Military corrected Putin?
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 01:14 AM
Oct 3

I think their Constitution approves this method of removal.

Frasier Balzov

(4,610 posts)
6. I see what you're saying.
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 01:21 AM
Oct 3

Totalitarianism is all about going along to get along.

Humorously depicted in the movie The Death of Stalin.

Dark humor of course.

rubbersole

(10,701 posts)
10. Throw in "The Manchurian Canidate" by Richard Condon
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 01:50 AM
Oct 3

A puppet president installed by and working for putin. It's how we got here.

Response to Frasier Balzov (Reply #4)

AZJonnie

(1,837 posts)
7. Man, I hope that this author is right!
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 01:22 AM
Oct 3

I mean, it absolutely makes sense to interpret it this way, and seems like the most likely one, but that's not the only possible interpretation.

Still an absolutely brilliant piece of writing in any case

MarineCombatEngineer

(16,094 posts)
15. Judging by the expressions on their faces,
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 08:55 AM
Oct 3

I would say that is the only possible interpretation.
The look of utter contempt on their faces says it all and Been A Dick Donald and Kegsbreath are too fucking stupid to realize it.

I've got a distinctive feeling that if Been A Dick Donald even tried to invoke either the Insurrection Act or Martial Law, it would be deemed an illegal order by the Generals and Admirals, and, lest we forget, I doubt that the line officers and senior NCO's would go along with such an illegal order as well.

During my career, it was pounded into our heads that our Oath was to the Constitution, not to a sitting President.

Been A Dick Donald made a huge mistake thinking that those military men were going to fawn all over him, instead all he got was a huge fuck you from them.

AZJonnie

(1,837 posts)
42. Your bona-fides on the subject far exceed mine my friend!
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 01:51 PM
Oct 3

Thanks for that, that's def. encouraging

Bettie

(18,947 posts)
19. I sure hope you are right
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 09:30 AM
Oct 3

because if they do what he (well, Miller and Vought) tells them to, it's going to get really bad.

So, the ultimate question is where their loyalty lies.

MarineCombatEngineer

(16,094 posts)
21. These are not Been A Dick Donald appointees, unlike the JCoS,
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 09:56 AM
Oct 3

these are highly professional men and women whose loyalty, judging by the look of contempt on their faces towards Been A Dick and Kegsbreath, is to the Constitution.

Ocelot II

(127,684 posts)
37. I can only imagine what the Black and female officers must have been thinking
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 10:56 AM
Oct 3

when Kegbreath made it clear that he considered the ideal military force to be white and male.

Prairie_Seagull

(4,437 posts)
39. At your rank MCE I am pretty sure you spent some time with Generals.
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 11:19 AM
Oct 3

These people are some of the most serious folks on the planet.

Unlike this administration.

MarineCombatEngineer

(16,094 posts)
43. Not so much Generals, although there was a time or two,
Sat Oct 4, 2025, 02:31 AM
Oct 4

but the Officers I did interact with were mostly Lt's, 2nd & 1st, Captains, Majors, along with all the other branches, especially the Naval Seabees, their version of Combat Engineers.

You are right, they are some of most professional military personal on the planet and recognize bullshit when they see it, and they saw it that day.

OneGrassRoot

(23,844 posts)
14. Question:
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 08:29 AM
Oct 3

Are there any images of similar gatherings of top brass? I ask because I know they are always stoic. And they're not supposed to applaud or anything. I'm just wondering if there's a difference in the vibe at other events with top brass. Were they much more stone-faced than usual?

MarineCombatEngineer

(16,094 posts)
17. Yeah, there was a difference,
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 09:03 AM
Oct 3

the look of utter contempt on their faces was the difference.
I spent 35 years in the Marines, I know that look well, seen it many times on NCO's and line officers and the look on the Generals and Admirals was exactly the same.

Paladin

(31,766 posts)
16. "The silence of the generals spoke volumes."
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 08:58 AM
Oct 3

God bless and keep and empower each and every one of them, against the horrors of this filthy, deranged regime.

kentuck

(114,770 posts)
20. A slither of hope in this post.
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 09:31 AM
Oct 3

I think it is spot on. Nothing hurts him as much as silence when he gives his applause lines. My bet is that once they returned to the White House, ketchup was running down the walls. He probably threatened to fire every single one of them?

Johnny2X2X

(23,481 posts)
22. It's what they always do.
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 10:00 AM
Oct 3

This is a non story, they behaved the way they're supposed to. it would have been a story if they had cheered Trump.

Know this, when Obama spoke to military leaders and they sat there in silence too, because they aren't political, FOX News ran clips of it claiming it's proof the generals don't respect him.

This is a non story, and the majority of the men in that room support Trump's fascist agenda.

MarineCombatEngineer

(16,094 posts)
23. The look of contempt on their faces is not what they always do,
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 10:05 AM
Oct 3

the difference between Pres. Obama's speech and Been A Dick Donalds "speech" is that during Pres. Obama's speech, there was quiet respect for him while during Been A Dick Donald's "speech" the Generals and Admirals had contemptuous looks on their faces.
Trust me, I know that look from my years in the military.

This is a non story, and the majority of the men in that room support Trump's fascist agenda.

Bullshit!!!!
You have zero idea of what you're talking about.

Kaleva

(40,009 posts)
24. People see what they want to see
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 10:08 AM
Oct 3

This is a non story as the officers behaved the way they’ve been trained to behave when being addressed by a superior.

sop

(16,402 posts)
32. Where is the military's contempt for Trump's illegal orders to blow up small Venezuelan boats and kill dozens,
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 10:26 AM
Oct 3

relying solely on some bullshit claims of drug running and immigrant smuggling?

MarineCombatEngineer

(16,094 posts)
33. As I said in another post,
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 10:28 AM
Oct 3

I'm not going to argue this, I know that look and it was a look of contempt.
Have a great day and weekend.

Ocelot II

(127,684 posts)
38. While it's true that a group of military officers won't be cheering and applauding a speech
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 11:01 AM
Oct 3

by any CinC, I very much doubt that "the majority of the men in that room support Trump's fascist agenda." They are career military people, and the ethos of the US military does not comport with a fascist agenda. Many military people - but definitely not all - tend to be politically conservative in the traditional sense, but Trump isn't a traditional conservative - and I can't imagine that any of them support his idea that military personnel could be used to fight what Trump considers to be crime in American cities against American people.

Tetrachloride

(9,138 posts)
28. It wasn't "The Sound of Silence." It was, in part, "Run Silent, Run Deep." (The Air Force would have something
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 10:18 AM
Oct 3

different.)

Ocelot II

(127,684 posts)
34. Generals don't cheer like MAGAs at a political rally.
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 10:29 AM
Oct 3

Military personnel follow strict customs and courtesies, which include showing deference and respect to the commander in chief and refraining from showing approval or disapproval of political statements. Typical decorum means they are only polite, though the facial expressions of many of them certainly suggested something other than approval.

Kegbreath must have known that the officers wouldn't behave as if they were at a political event, but Trump obviously wasn't expecting a crowd that just sat there and didn't applaud or cheer for him. He's an energy vampire. He's like Tinker Bell in the Peter Pan play who will die if the children don't applaud.

cayugafalls

(5,933 posts)
40. Generals gathered in their masses, just like witches at black masses, evil minds that plot destruction.
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 11:30 AM
Oct 3

Sorcerers of deaths construction.

They may have been silent, but they sat there and listened as illegal orders, insults and lies were thrown around like fish at the market.

I will put no faith in silence...

Just my humble opinion.

D23MIURG23

(3,134 posts)
41. You can tell they weren't impressed, but I'm not sure it matters all that much.
Fri Oct 3, 2025, 11:35 AM
Oct 3

What matters is what (if anything) they do when he starts giving them illegal orders. Will they go along with the next coup? Will they go along with it when he starts ordering them to start shooting at city dwellers?

Recognizing that he is a stupid blowhard is one thing, actually standing up to him or intervening in his crazy is another.

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