Reportedly opposed to the outgoing president, Miles Taylor, a former employee of the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration, has made an astonishing assertion. Taylor claims in a Daily Mail article that Donald Trump had stated his intention to form his own mercenary company that would resemble Vladimir Putin’s Wagner gang from Russia.
Taylor claimed on a British news program that Trump has expressed interest in creating a personal armed force while in office. “When I was in the administration, Donald Trump wanted to create his own mercenary force in the United States military,” stated Taylor. He continued by saying that he was able to “shut down these conversations” with other security personnel by claiming that this kind of strategy was not workable.
This assertion is made at a time when rumors and worries about Trump’s political goals and tactics are becoming more prevalent, particularly in the wake of his big win in the Iowa Caucus. With fifty-one percent of the vote, Trump easily defeated other Republican contenders, including former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and governor Ron DeSantis of Florida. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who obtained 8% of the vote, withdrew from the campaign and endorsed Trump after the caucus.
The current debates concerning Trump’s possible impact on the US military and national security have been enriched by Taylor’s comments. The national security establishment was concerned that Trump may use the neutral U.S. military as a tool to further his political agenda. This worry was repeated in a recent NBC News article. Additionally, Trump’s remarks regarding tyranny and his seeming disdain for the checks and balances that underpin American democracy were mentioned in the report.
A contentious discussion concerning the future of American politics and the military’s role in upholding democratic values is being sparked by Taylor’s accusations as well as Trump’s recent election victories.