Eli Lake, Columnist

H.R. McMaster’s ‘Neither Trump’ Manifesto

The president’s former national security adviser is critical of both Trump and the Democrats.

October 6, 2020 at 2:00 PM UTC

Eli Lake is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy. He was the senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and covered national security and intelligence for the Washington Times, the New York Sun and UPI.

The president and his national security adviser, pre-breakup.
Photographer: Bloomberg

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In the current state of American political discourse, H.R. McMaster might be called a Neither Trumper. Donald Trump’s second national security adviser is critical of the president at times, but does not proclaim his opposition to him — and McMaster also has tough words for Democrats.

Other former senior Trump national security officials have slammed the president for his handling of the protests and riots that engulfed the country’s cities this summer, or on other issues. McMaster hasn’t. Nor has he said how he is voting.