General Mattis Rails On Trump: 'I Earned My Spurs On Battlefield'

By Frances Langum — October 18, 2019

The Alfred E. Smith Dinner is an annual joke-telling celebration, but in comedy timing is everything.

General Mattis trolled Donald Trump (NOT President Trump, as many noticed) at Thursday's dinner, and he noted Trump's earlier comment that Mattis is the "world's most overrated general":

MATTIS: I’m not just an overrated general. I am the greatest, the world’s most overrated... I'm honored to be considered that by Donald Trump because he also called Meryl Streep an overrated actress. So I guess I'm the Meryl Streep of generals.

I earned my spurs on the battlefield; Donald Trump earned his spurs from the doctor.

The thing is, Mattis was Trump's Secretary of Defense. And since Mattis has been most reluctant to criticize Donald Trump in public except at a dinner where jokes are expected, many consider his "poking fun" to be too little, too late.

Mattis is like Mueller: useless in the era of Trump corruption.

— ZiggyDaddy™ (@Ziggy_Daddy) October 18, 2019

Mattis needs to stop the jokes and testify before the House I. The impeachment inquiry. #ImpeachTrump https://t.co/Otxn7Ocv9S

— Gabbaruce (@Gabbaruce) October 18, 2019

The end of a presidency feels near when the generals start trolling the Commander in Chief. Gen. Mattis, Trump’s former Secretary of Defense: “I earned MY spurs on the battlefield.” https://t.co/EhaXq99Wj6

— Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) October 18, 2019

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