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Recently, Redditor u/androgynee asked active and reserve US military members to share their thoughts on the Trump administration and the general consensus among their colleagues. Amid Veterans Affairs layoffs and jeopardizing America’s relationship with long-standing allies like Canada, here’s how veterans and US military members are responding:
1. “I’m active duty. My spouse knows and understands that I’d go to prison before supporting any military action against our allies. And even if the US President claims Canada is no longer our ally, it doesn’t change the decades of history and friendship that say otherwise. I’m not alone in this thinking, either.”
2. “I’m 10 years in, some active, now reserve. I’ve avoided discussing Trump directly at drills. The only consensus reached was, ‘This is wild.’ I’ll be getting out as soon as possible.”
3. “I’m American, and it’s heartbreaking. I’ve never felt such unease in my life. I feel the need to watch what I say at work since I’m surrounded by MAGAs. The network of friends I’ve built around the world is concerned, too. My parents are seriously looking to move out of the country, while other relatives are laughing at our concern and denying anything negative about our sitting president. It feels like being in an abusive relationship where you’re constantly gaslit and need to walk on eggshells. I’ve been in relationships like that before, and this is one that I can’t afford to simply walk away from.”
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4. “I was active for 25 years (Clinton to Biden), and I really don’t think people understand how apolitical we really are. The vast majority of us look at conflicts the same way firefighters look at a fire. We didn’t choose the fire to be there, but here we are putting it out. That said, we really are the best microcosm of America you’ll find. Pick any town in America, and you’ll find a veteran. We’re not the sheep some people imagine us to be — we take oaths to the Constitution and are trained in laws of armed conflict and rules of engagement. Like, if we hosed a protester down with a chemical like the police do, that’d be called a war crime. It’s a totally different culture. Currently, I think you’ll find a lot of people researching what constitutes a legal order, and I think they’re worried about their benefits. But I don’t see a country-invading-country situation.”
5. “Sadly, many active US military are 18–19-year-olds who don’t have opinions about the current situation.”
6. “I’m active and don’t agree with any of this. I didn’t vote for Trump, but I’ve never gotten to choose my bosses anyway. Politics aside, completely forgetting our allies’ help after 9/11 and the lives they lost is completely unforgivable. They died for our war on terrorism. I’m glad the majority of WWII veterans are gone because I would NEVER want them to see what this country is doing and how their sacrifices and PTSD meant nothing to a draft dodger, a Nazi, and a boot-licker.”
7. “I made an oath to defend the Constitution against all threats, both foreign and domestic.”
8. “I served beside 3PPCLI soldiers in Afghanistan. A Canadian friend I made was killed on that deployment. Our allies are literally brothers in blood. It’s physically sickening to see this man stirring shit up between us.”
9. “I was listening to a veteran at lunch today talk about the VA layoffs. He doesn’t strike me as especially enamored with Trump, but he was also completely ambivalent about the layoffs because, as he put it, the VA is already so poorly run that you’d hardly be able to tell there was any deterioration in services.
10. “I’m a former Army reserve. I would never enlist or encourage my kids to enlist after seeing all this idiocy from the current administration.”
11. “I’m 12 years in active duty. I’m straight-up not having a good time. I don’t see why we’re poking and prodding our allies (among other concerns). I’m currently working with said-allies in Germany, and I’ve very concerned about my future in my current role.”
12. “I’m currently on active duty. I’m concerned for my fellows in arms and myself. I would never wish harm on my neighbors from the North or my compadres from the South, and I do not share the same sentiment with many people I work with. It disgusts me that my compatriots are willingly supporting the shenanigans afoot in DC. I am sincerely worried about my future. I’m supposed to retire in 2027, but I’m worried that may not happen. I will not betray my country, but I may betray certain orders should push come to shove. There are lines I will NOT cross!”
13. “Active duty coast guard here. Most of us are pumped — we’re excited to be doing counter-drug and counter-migrant missions. Too many people won’t admit it, but the silent majority is excited to have a president who seems to put America first. We had the opportunity to talk to Harris for Christmas, but nobody wanted to. Everyone wanted to meet Trump. Like I said, though, it’s a silent majority. People demonize the right, so everyone mostly just keeps quiet. It’s all doom and gloom from, like, four people I work with, but the rest of my colleagues love that we’re getting rid of the DEI BS and moving on to actual work.”
14. “I’m active. I think the vibe is the same as the general population: some are very concerned while others have blindly bought into Trump’s BS (again).”
15. “I don’t respect a leader who doesn’t respect his veterans.”
16. “I’ve been an active military member for the past 20+ years (and counting). I voted for Trump in 2016, and while I didn’t approve of everything he did, I generally approved of his first term, except for his handling of COVID-19. I didn’t vote for him in 2024, but between the two candidates, I preferred him to win. The government is too big and spends too much, and a person who has a bone to pick with the government is generally the best suited to reduce the size of it. That said, he is uncouth, sometimes obnoxious, and appears to be destroying our relations with foreign allies.”
17. “I’m worried that I’m going to die on a beach somewhere in the Pacific because our leadership doesn’t see the value in upholding our alliances.”
18. “I was once ridiculed for mentioning the fact that I’m a Cold War veteran who detests Trump. I think Trump is a traitor and a Russian asset. When we vote alongside Russia, Belarus, North Korea, and Iran on a UN resolution to call out Russia as an aggressor, there seems to be no further proof that the US is compromised. I am disgusted by the traitors who wrap themselves in the American flag yet support Putin and fascism. To me, MAGA is a collection of propaganda-consuming traitors.”
19. “There are a few hardcore Trumpers in my unit, and I can’t stand working with them. The amount of bullshit they spew is ridiculous. I tried doing research to battle their stupidity, but it was no use. I’m just waiting for shit to fully hit the fan.”
20. “I retired last summer after 20 years. I was disgusted by the amount of mindless support among my peers. I swore to defend and uphold the Constitution, not declare loyalty to a king. I don’t know what these other guys saw in Trump or what they thought their service meant, but I’m now questioning what I spent the last 20 years defending because it sure as hell wasn’t this.”
21. “I’ve done 10 years of active and reserve. Seeing what this country has done…it was a total waste of time.”
22. “I’m active. Both my dad and grandpa fought for decades against the dictatorship in the country they came from. Watching Americans throw away all of their freedoms and futures in the trash just to make their neighbors’ lives more miserable is disappointing. Ultimately, when a dictator takes power, they end up even purging or imprisoning members of their own party in order to consolidate power entirely. These people are chiefly animated by hate, jealously, and entitlement. They want to be part of the ‘winning group’ and benefit from the suffering of their fellow citizens.”
23. “Navy Seal here. I’ve never seen a bigger clown president than Trump.”
24. Lastly: “I’m active. I hate what is going on, and I’m severely disappointed in my fellow service members and veterans who fully support Trump. He is destroying our relationship with our allies, their governments, and their citizens, and he’s making a mockery of our Constitution. I’m ashamed to be overseas right now. My biggest worry is what will happen to my family if I’m ever given an unlawful order I refuse to follow.”
If you’re an active duty or reserve US military member or a veteran, what are your thoughts on Trump’s presidency so far? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously voice your thoughts using this form.
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.