In his first interview since resigning from office, former Defense Secretary Mattis appeared reluctant to directly criticize the president, but when he was asked about Trump’s tweets about North Korea he said: “Any Marine general or any other senior servant of the people of the United States would find that, to use a mild euphemism, counterproductive and beneath the dignity of the presidency.” Mattis appeared to explain his decision not to speak out more directly by saying: “I may not like a commander in chief one fricking bit, but our system puts the commander in chief there, and to further weaken him when we’re up against real threats—I mean, we could be at war on the Korean peninsula, every time they start launching something.” His aides reportedly told The Atlantic that Mattis believes Trump has “limited cognitive ability,” and a “generally dubious character.”
