Political observers from both sides of the aisle didn’t hold back unloading on President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke former Gen. Mark Milley’s government-funded security detail, which newly minted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was poised to announce he is “immediately pulling,” according to media reports.
Milley, the retired U.S. Army general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, became the latest in a growing list of former Trump administration officials turned critics who have had their security protections ended in the days after Trump returned to the White House last week.
That list also includes former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his top aide, Brian Hook, as well as former National Security Adviser John Bolton – all of whom, like Milley, had been targeted by Iran for assassination.
But for Milley, who during the 2024 campaign described Trump as "fascist to the core," the retribution will go a step further. Hegseth is also said to be assembling a review board to establish if there is enough evidence to strip Milley of a star based on his actions in Trump’s first term to “undermine the chain of command," Fox News reported.
The new development prompted a mix of outrage on social media for both Trump and Hegseth.
ALSO READ: Top GOPer's ‘most immediate’ priority for new committee includes probing a MAGA conspiracy
“Hegseth is pathetic,” political consultant and Army veteran Fred Wellman told his followers on Bluesky. “He isn't half the man as Mark Milley.”
“These dolts are tougher on Mark Milley than Vladimir Putin,” attorney Heath Mayo, founder of the conservative-leaning group Principles First, wrote on Twitter. “Wake up, America. We elected dummies.”
Former Trump administration communications aide Alyssa Farah Griffin reminded her followers of the extent of Milley’s military career.
“Is this how America treats its heroes?” Griffin, a co-host on ABC’s “The View,” said in an X post. “Regardless of your politics, Milley served in the US Army for 4 decades in roles including with the 82nd Airborne Division, 5th Special Forces Group,7th Infantry Division, 2nd Infantry Division, & 25th Infantry Division. Shameful.”
Former Tea Party Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) warned his followers on Bluesky that “Trump is Turning The Presidency into A Dictatorship - Where The Hell Are You Democrats?”
“Dear Americans who voted for Trump,” Walsh wrote. “You voted to put an incredibly small, petty, pathetic, un-American person in charge. You voted to make America more divided and less secure. That’s such a shame.”
“You will recall, Trump was afraid of going to Vietnam to serve his country and got deferments for ‘bone spurs,’" podcast host Jack Hopkins reminded his followers on Bluesky. “Milley received the Defense Superior Service Medal and was nominated for a valor award for his actions in Iraq.”
Democratic strategist Chris Jackson called the decision “a move of cowardice” and criticized Hegseth in an X post before adding “what a pathetic man.”