Comment The White House’s decision to flank President Biden with US Marines as he delivered a speech raising alarms about the authoritarian impulses of former President Donald Trump and his supporters has sparked debate about what is the appropriate use of the military. Biden, speaking at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Thursday night, said democracy and equality were under attack and that he wanted to “speak as clearly as I can to the nation” about the threats against them. Trump and his allies represent a form of extremism that “threatens the very foundations of our democracy,” Biden said, adding that while “mainstream” Republicans respect the rule of law, the former president does not. Biden delivered his speech in front of the building where the US Constitution was written, as two Marines in dress blues stood in the background. Red light bathed the building and the Marines. Biden warns that the US faces a strong threat from anti-democratic forces Presidents have long used US troops and military hardware as they address the American people. However, military officials have often tried to limit how those in uniform are drawn into the political spotlight, insisting that the military is an institution that protects all Americans regardless of political affiliation. A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, acknowledged that the administration made a conscious decision to include the Marines for symbolism. “The President gave an important speech last night about our democracy and our values, values that our men and women in uniform fight every day to protect,” the official said in a statement. “The presence of the Marines at the speech was intended to demonstrate the deep and abiding respect the President has for their service to these ideals and the unique role our independent military plays in defending our democracy, regardless of party affiliation in charge”. For some scholars who study civil-military affairs, using the Marines as a backdrop to the speech was unwise. Peter Feaver, a professor at Duke University, said that while presidents are political actors, “they have to be careful not to bring the military into context when they engage in partisan, political acts.” “In this case, the choice to literally keep the Marine guards in the frame was unfortunate,” said Feaver, who raised concerns about how Trump has politicized the military on several occasions. “It may even have the effect of distracting from the message as people discuss the visuals rather than the substance of the president’s speech.” Lindsey Cohn, who studies civil-military affairs at the Naval War College, said Biden being flanked by Marines during the speech “wasn’t a crisis, but it could and should have been avoided.” Cohn said she could see an argument that Biden made a necessary and nonpartisan speech in which he pointedly noted that not all Republicans are a threat. But he added that the Biden administration needs to be “hypersensitive and careful about the outlook to try to strengthen some of the standards” that the Trump administration weakened. Addressing US troops at the Pentagon in February 2020 at the start of his administration, Biden said he would never disrespect them and would “never politicize the work that you do”. Biden’s critics — including many who have remained silent during Trump’s battles with the Pentagon — have attacked the use of the Marines. “The only thing worse than Biden’s speech trashing his fellow citizens is being wrapped in our flag and the Marines doing it,” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) tweeted. The only thing worse than Biden’s speech trashing his fellow citizens is being wrapped in our flag and the Marines doing it. — Rep Darrell Issa (@repdarrellissa) September 2, 2022 James Hutton, a veterans affairs official during the Trump administration, tweeted that Biden “used the Marines as props for his divisive and clearly political speech.” President Biden used the US Marines as props for his divisive and clearly political speech. Unacceptable behavior attacks more than half of Americans. pic.twitter.com/7QHObYTlaZ — James Hutton (@JEHutton) September 2, 2022 Biden supporters responded by pointing to the many ways Trump has undermined the nonpartisan nature of the military. In June 2020, he tried for days to use active-duty US troops to quell protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, worrying senior Pentagon officials who saw his plans as an abuse of power. At the height of the crisis, federal forces cleared protesters from Lafayette Square outside the White House before Trump led other senior US officials to a nearby church for a photo opportunity. Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, later apologized for appearing briefly with the president outside the White House, saying his presence at the time “created the perception of the military being involved in domestic politics.” Early in his administration, Trump traveled to the Pentagon and signed executive actions that included an order to severely limit immigration from many Muslim-majority countries. He did so in the Pentagon’s “Hall of Heroes,” a room dedicated to the military’s Medal of Honor recipients.
