Former U.S. Navy admiral and NATO Supreme Allied Commander, James George Stavridis, was a guest on MSNBC’s Morning Joe where he discussed the over-the-top press conference Trump gave where he announced the death of terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The hosts point out that the conference was full of bravado, gratuitously detailed descriptions, and bizarre self-promotion like this quote where Trump refers to himself in the third-person: “They use the internet better than almost anybody in the world perhaps other than Donald Trump.”
Joe asked the admiral for his thoughts on the “unAmerican language” that was used in the press conference. Stavridis was not impressed with the President’s words.
He called Trump’s “victory lap” out as “counterproductive” because it “comes across as unprofessional.” However, he pointed out that the “real problem” is that “It’s motivational for the other side.”
In particular, the use of the word “dog” is very troubling. In Islamic culture, dogs are considered unclean animals and are viewed to be scavengers. Calling al-Baghdadi a dog was especially inflammatory.
So, Stavridis concluded, “I think it will become a recruiting tool that the Islamic state uses on the internet, and for the record, I’d say they’re better than Donald Trump.” He then pointed out that Islamic terrorists are conducting “global operations,” and “they will use this footage to motivate their followers, to recruit more, it’s really not how we want to play this.”
Watch the full exchange: