Political commentator Mary Trump, the estranged niece of the former president, said that Donald Trump's latest attack on General Mark Milley on social media is a sign that the "walls are closing in" on him.
The former president recently attacked Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for saying that he once said of a disabled veteran that "no one wants to see that." The general made the comment during an interview with The Atlantic to mark the upcoming end of his 43-year military career.
In response to Milley's claim, Donald Trump attacked the general over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan at the end of August 2021, saying he "led perhaps the most embarrassing moment in American history" and accusing him of incompetence.
Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, Donald Trump accused him of being "a 'Woke' train wreck" and "dealing with China to give them a heads up on the thinking of the president of the United States." In an escalation of his attack against Milley, Trump said that "in times gone by" this alleged act should have been punished with "death."
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday, Mary Trump—a clinical psychologist and daughter of the former president's older brother, Fred—wrote that "with the wall closing in, Donald is increasingly weak and pathetic, striking out at anybody he perceives to be an enemy—which is anybody who doesn't support him unconditionally."
She added: "He attacked General Milley via social media yesterday, not because he's up for a fight, but because he knows Milley has too much honor to strike back."
Mary Trump continued by saying that from here on "everything is going to escalate, everything is going to get worse—especially if the corporate media continue to give Donald a pass."
She added an invitation for people to reject the former president's attacks against his perceived enemies.
"We need to stop shrugging our shoulders and rolling our eyes at his most egregious behaviors and dangerous rhetoric," she wrote. "That's been the story of the last seven decades of Donald's life—and here we are. The future of our country depends on it."
Mary Trump had previously used the same expression in summer 2022, saying that the walls were closing in on the former president as the January 6 House committee brought forward more evidence against him.
Other recent attacks by the former president against his perceived enemies have led Mary Trump to say that he is showing signs of nervousness. Last week, Donald Trump lashed out at conservative megadonor Charles Koch after he raised tens of millions of dollars for another 2024 Republican candidate.
With the walls closing in, Donald is increasingly weak and pathetic, striking out at anybody he perceives to be an enemy—which is anybody who doesn’t support him unconditionally.
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) September 23, 2023
He attacked General Milley via social media yesterday, not because he’s up for a fight, but because… pic.twitter.com/I3g9YeYmIX
Despite his 2024 nomination campaign being overshadowed by the four indictments that have hit him this year, the former president is still the GOP primary frontrunner. As of September 23, Donald Trump had 55.2 percent of the Republican votes, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Newsweek contacted Trump's 2024 campaign team for comment by email on Sunday.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
