The silence of the generals.

October 1, 2025

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.

Such fears are both understandable and exaggerated. I hope everyone will reconsider the credibility and good faith of the authors of the posts and articles that sold short the loyalty and professionalism of the senior leaders of the US military. In the end, Trump could not declare martial law, administer a loyalty oath, or engage in ritual firings of “disloyal” generals because the generals would not have tolerated such outcomes—and Trump knew it.

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.

Further reading

• The full text of Trump’s speech is here: President Trump Address to Pentagon Leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico - Full Transcript – SOFX

• The video of the speech is here: Speech: Donald Trump Addresses Military Leadership in Quantico, Virginia - September 30, 2025

• Analysis by The New York Times: Trump and Hegseth Recount Familiar Partisan Complaints to Top Military Leaders.

• Sharper analysis by Lucian K. Truscott IV on Substack, Trump’s speech to the generals and admirals: I don’t even know where to begin.

The shutdown has begun

After two failed votes on competing proposals in the Senate, the partial government shutdown began at midnight on October 1, 2025. Trump and the Republicans have settled on the lie that Democrats are holding out for free healthcare coverage for immigrants who are not in the US legally.

That is not true. Immigrants who are not in the US legally are not entitled to federal health insurance, and Democrats are not proposing to change that state of affairs. See ABC, Republicans falsely claiming Democrats want to give free health care to those without legal status.

I wrote extensively about the shutdown in yesterday’s newsletter, so tonight I will hand the microphone over to others.

Josh Marshall explains that as a minority party in Congress, Democrats have only one tool of resistance: The filibuster in the Senate.

As Marshall explains, if Democratic leaders surrender that tool by agreeing to keep the government open without extracting significant compromises from Republicans, the Democratic Party leadership will effectively abandon those who are resisting Trump’s unlawful regime. See Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo, Let It Happen.

Per Josh Marshall,

The need for [Democratic] votes for “continuing resolutions” to fund the government is basically the only locus of power for the [Democratic] congressional opposition.

[Democrats] not only have to use that power for whatever they can get with it, they need to show there is an opposition out there willing to fight the imposition of a presidential autocracy.

If they’re not, who else will have the courage or inclination to take any risks and fight? An opposition requires morale to remain in the fight and endure while its opponents are holding most of the power.

Like it or not, Democratic congressional leaders are the face of the opposition until the shutdown ends. To encourage Democratic faithful to continue their resistance, Democratic leaders in Congress must remain steadfast in the face of criticism, extortion, and bullying. So far, so good.

Ian Millhiser explains why the Supreme Court has made it incredibly difficult for Democrats to extract concessions from Trump. See Ian Millhiser, Vox, The Supreme Court just made it nearly impossible to end the shutdown.

Last Friday, the Supreme Court effectively upheld Trump’s unlawful impoundment of funds in contravention of Congressional appropriations. The Supreme Court’s decision is “temporary” in that it is a temporary ruling on the shadow docket. The legality of Trump’s impoundment of funds will be decided at a trial in the District Court and reviewed in the Court of Appeals. In the meantime, Trump is withholding billions of dollars that Congress instructed him to spend—and the Supreme Court says it’s okay!

As explained by Millhiser, “How do you negotiate with a man who can break his promises at any time?”

There is no easy answer to the dilemma described by Millhiser. But as Josh Marshall noted above, Democrats have only one lever—the filibuster in the Senate. If they do not use it, they have no power as an opposition. Like it or not, Democratic congressional leaders are the face of the opposition until the shutdown ends.

Judge excoriates the Trump administration for its conduct in attempting to deport a Palestinian student

You likely recall the case of Rumeysa Ozturk, whose student visa was revoked because she helped draft an op-ed in a student newspaper opposing Tufts’ investment in Israel. A dramatic video showed Ozturk being accosted on the street by masked men emerging from unmarked cars. It was the first, ominous use of ICE agents as instruments of terror in the US.

Organizations representing university professors and graduate students sued, claiming that the revocation of Ozturk’s visa and subsequent deportation efforts were intended to chill their right to engage in free speech free of government intrusion.

In American Association of University Professors v. Rubio, Judge William G. Young (appointed by Ronald Reagan) affirmed the longstanding rule that free speech rights in the US apply to citizens and non-citizens alike. The opinion (linked above) is 161 pages and is meticulous in its review of the facts and the law.

The opinion is worth a few moments of your time. Judge Young took the opportunity to issue a stirring defense of the Constitution. He attached a postcard received in his chambers from an anonymous sender. He used the postcard as a framing device for his opinion.

The top half of the first page of the opinion appears as follows:

Judge Young ends his opinion with a review of Trump’s lawlessness, bullying, and disregard for judicial precedents and court orders. I highly recommend Judge Young’s indictment of Trump’s lawlessness beginning at page 148 under the heading, “Justice In The Trump Era.”

Judge Young concludes his analysis of Trump’s assault on the rule of law with this closing paragraph:

I fear President Trump believes the American people are so divided that today they will not stand up, fight for, and defend our most precious constitutional values so long as they are lulled into thinking their own personal interests are not affected.

Is he correct?

A few pages earlier, Judge Young includes a quote from Ronald Reagan’s inaugural speech as Governor of California:

The case before Judge Young is not yet over; he must consider a remedy, which is always a tricky question in a case involving claims of infringement of free speech. But that’s not the point.

Judge Young’s opinion is extraordinary. He has gone far outside the “judicial lane” of deciding the narrow question before him. Good for him! He is saying out loud that “This is not normal” and that the traditional judicial doctrines are not equal to the moment.

In short, Judge Young refuses to follow the “Hear no evil, see no evil” pantomime of the US Supreme Court. Judge Young is unsparing in his description of Trump’s assault on the rule of law. Judge Young justifies that criticism by saying that any remedy must take into account the fact that Trump and members of his administration flout court orders, misrepresent the facts, and use bad-faith litigation tactics to delay justice and avoid accountability.

We need more people like Judge Young to say, “This is not normal.” We need CEOs, university presidents, politicians, journalists, news anchors and entertainers to say, “This is not normal and we aren’t going to tolerate it any longer.”

If enough of us do so, we can regain the political momentum in a matter of days or weeks, just as we did when we successfully opposed Trump’s effort to suppress Jimmy Kimmel’s right to free speech.

Concluding Thoughts

In his speech before the senior leaders of the US military, Trump was clownish, confused, and sickly. In his rambling monologue, he repeated the words of his advisers, urging him to “Walk slowly, you are not in a rush, don’t fall down.” That is sensible advice for someone of Trump’s age, but it shows that his advisers recognize his rapidly declining state.

The following is part of Trump’s stream of consciousness monologue delivered to the generals, where he drifts in and out of his voice and that of his advisers:

A few of our Presidents have fallen and it became a part of their legacy.

We don’t want that. You walk nice and easy. You’re not having — you don’t have to set any record.

Be cool. Be cool when you walk down, but don’t — don’t pop down the stairs.

So one thing with Obama, I had zero respect for him as a President, but he would bop down those stairs.

I’ve never seen it. Da-da, da-da, da-da, bop, bop, bop. He’d go down the stairs.

I repeat, Trump is a clown. Do not grant him superpowers he does not have. Yes, he is corrupt. Yes, he has the power of the federal government at his disposal. But he is inept, out of touch, and failing. He can’t distinguish between a five-year-old video and the current facts on the ground in Portland.

Although our strategy cannot be to wait for Trump’s further mental and physical decline, let’s be honest in assessing his frailty and limitations. Let’s press our advantage. Do not cower in fear of a man who spends his days envying President Obama’s ability to walk down the stairs of Air Force One without holding the handrail.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Protest Photos

Photo below, Belfast, Maine, with the following note: Every Saturday at the Post Office 12:00-1:00. The number of passing drivers and passengers in cars and trucks with positive honks, thumbs up, peace sign, shouts, etc. has tripled in the past six weeks. The Trump nightmare is becoming more real to more people by the day.

Photo below: Every Friday in front of the Social Security Office in Prescott, Arizona:

Photo below, Boone County, Missouri, with explanatory note:

Columbia is home to the University of Missouri (Tigers), and the homecoming parade was held last Saturday. This year, the University banned all political groups from marching/riding in the parade, including even the League of Women Voters and Moms Demand Action. As a form of protest, Boone County Democrats created a banner and held it high along the parade route. After the parade, the banner was moved to our Saturday morning protest location, which is a busy intersection in Columbia.

Daily Dose of Perspective

The Whale Galaxy, located 30 million light-years from Earth. In the upper left corner is the Hockey Stick Galaxy.