BURSTRep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) on Wednesday confronted House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), urging the GOP leader to address comments made by the president during his address to generals in Quantico, Va.
“The president is unhinged. He is unwell,” Dean told Johnson in front of a crowd and cameras.
Johnson fired back by telling her, “A lot of folks on your side are, too.”
Dean then pointed to President Trump’s remarks from the day prior, when he suggested Democratic-led cities be used as “training grounds” for the military.
He and Hegseth also told service members that the days of “politically correct” policies within the armed forces would be brought to an end.
Dean described Trump’s comments as a “performance” in front of generals and admirals, while Johnson said he “didn’t see it.”
However, the Pennsylvania representative warned that diplomatic relations could be impacted by the president’s remarks.
“That is so dangerous,” Dean told Johnson.
“You know I serve on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations. This is a collision of those two things. Our allies are looking elsewhere. Our enemies are laughing,” she added.
Her sentiments were echoed by both Democratic colleagues and ex-military officials.
Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Trump’s remarks offered “no strategy, no operational guidance, and no plan to address real threats.”
“This event was an expensive, dangerous dereliction of leadership by the Trump administration,” Reed said in a Tuesday statement.
“While American forces confront real threats across the globe, Mr. Hegseth and President Trump chose to pull generals and admirals away from their missions to listen to hours of political grievances,” he added.
Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey offered a similarly scathing review.
“I’ve been doing this a long time. That presentation at Quantico from the president and secretary of Defense was one of the most bizarre, unsettling events I’ve ever encountered,” McCaffrey said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“The president sounded incoherent, exhausted, rabidly partisan, at times stupid, meandering, couldn’t hold a thought together,” he added.