James Mattis slams Donald Trump's response to George Floyd protests across the US

Donald Trump has unleashed on a high profile general who once served in his Cabinet after a searing critique of his response to the US protests.

James Mattis, the high profile general who once served in Donald Trump’s Cabinet as his secretary of defence, has condemned the President’s response to the mass protests across the United States.

Gen Mattis had refrained from publicly criticising Mr Trump since resigning in late 2018, but in a scathing statement to The Atlantic today, that changed.

“I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” he said.

“The words ‘Equal Justice Under Law’ are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding.

“We must not be distracted by a small number of law-breakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values.”

Gen Mattis appears to have been riled up by the President’s threat to use the military to crack down on rioters, and by the authorities’ controversial use of force to clear a path for Mr Trump’s photo op at a church near the White House two days ago.

RELATED: White House’s bold defence of Trump photo op

The photo op in question. Picture: Patrick Semansky/AP

“When I joined the military some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstances to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens – much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside,” Gen Mattis said.

“We must reject any thinking of our cities as a ‘battle space’ that our uniformed military is called upon to ‘dominate’.

“Militarising our response, as we saw witnessed in Washington D.C., sets up a conflict – a false conflict – between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part.”

He stressed the importance of national unity, highlighting America’s efforts during the Second World War and Nazi Germany’s attempts to sow division.

“Donald Trump is the first President in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people. Does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us,” Gen Mattis said.

“We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.

“We can (be) united without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens, to past generations that bled to defend our promise, and to our children.

“We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution.”

As always, Mr Trump responded to the criticism on Twitter, saying he was glad Gen Mattis was gone from his administration and it had been an “honour” to fire him.

Probably the only thing Barack Obama & I have in common is that we both had the honor of firing Jim Mattis, the world’s most overrated General. I asked for his letter of resignation, & felt great about it. His nickname was “Chaos”, which I didn’t like, & changed to “Mad Dog”...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2020

...His primary strength was not military, but rather personal public relations. I gave him a new life, things to do, and battles to win, but he seldom “brought home the bacon”. I didn’t like his “leadership” style or much else about him, and many others agree. Glad he is gone!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2020

I should point out that Mr Trump did not actually fire Gen Mattis. The secretary resigned in protest at the President’s desire to remove all US troops from Syria. Mr Trump then brought forward the date of his departure.

RELATED: James Mattis quits over disagreement with Trump

Another pedantic side note – Mr Trump’s claim that he “changed” Gen Mattis’s nickname from “Chaos” to “Mad Dog” is a strange one. Gen Mattis has had that nickname since the early 2000s. Chaos was his call sign.

If this all feels eerily familiar, that would be because the same cycle has now played out countless times during Mr Trump’s presidency, with everyone from former attorney-general Jeff Sessions to former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, former White House chief of staff General John Kelly, Mr Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen … this list could go on for quite some time.

There’s a pattern, is what I’m saying. Mr Trump hires people, they almost inevitably quit or get fired, then they turn on him, and finally he insults them on Twitter. That’s how the United States government works now.

Former Defence Secretary James Mattis. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

The photo op that raised Gen Mattis’s ire has been a topic of fierce debate in the last 48 hours. Today, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany offered a fresh defence of her boss’s actions, comparing him to wartime British prime minister Winston Churchill.

“Through all of time, we’ve seen presidents and leaders across the world who have had leadership moments, and very powerful symbols that were important for a nation at any given time, to show a message of resilience and determination,” Ms McEnany said.

“Like Churchill. We saw him inspecting the bombing damage. It sent a powerful message of leadership to the British people. And George W. Bush throwing out the ceremonial first pitch after 9/11. And Jimmy Carter putting on a sweater to encourage energy savings. And George H.W. Bush signing the Americans with Disabilities Act flanked by two disabled Americans.

“And for this President, it was powerful and important to send a message that the rioters, the looters, the anarchists will not prevail.”