Hi Reddit, I interviewed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and those closest to him for more than two years. Until General Mark Milley, no chairman of the Joint Chiefs had confronted the possibility that the president might provoke a coup.

Milley had several goals in the chaotic final days of the Trump administration: keep the U.S. out of reckless, unnecessary wars overseas; maintain the military’s integrity, and his own; and prevent the administration from using the military against the American people. Along the way, he deflected Trump’s exhortations to have the U.S. military ignore, and even on occasion commit, war crimes.

For our November cover issue, I tell the story of the man who may have done more than any other American to defend the constitutional order in the unprecedented time before and after the 2020 election. You can read my story [here](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/11/general-mark-milley-trump-coup/675375/), watch an interview with MSNBC [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vI8Wt3omoQ), and read my previous reporting [here](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/jeffrey-goldberg/).

by theatlantic

15 comments

  1. In your opinion, what is the most grievous thing that Trump has done?

  2. Hello Jeffrey Goldberg,

    Would you please edit the last sentence’s here, here, and here to include links to your work to be read?

    Next question. If Donald Trump is elected in 2024, what is your prognostic outlook?

    Thank you.

  3. Do you feel that Constitution-protecting events are becoming more common and will we be expecting to see more egregious examples in the near future?

  4. Do you have a sense of what, if any, political retribution there would be against individuals like Mark Milley under a second trump administration? With rumors about bad actors like Jeffrey Clark making plans for this, I’m wondering what shape it could take.

  5. Hey Jeff, thanks for your work. We need people to highlight those who are helping hold our democracy together.

  6. How has your background affected the objectivity of The Atlantic’s coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict in Gaza?

  7. What do you think would have happened had someone with less integrity than Milley had been in his role? Which is another way of asking how concerned we should be about a similar set of circumstances occurring in the future without a JCS chairman committed to Milley’s set of goals.

    ​

    Thanks for taking the time for this AMA.

  8. Were you able to glean any insight into Trump’s support system outside the government and their influence on, say, Milley’s area (the military)?

    How great, or little, was the external influence on Milley and was he forced to any extreme or emergency measures to curtail undue outside influences?

  9. Why do you think the media is currently pushing hard on the narrative that Biden is the more likely 2024 election loser, when it’s mostly been Republicans losing in other recent elections and their policies (particularly against abortion and marijuana legalization) are incredibly unpopular?

  10. Jeffrey –

    First of all, my God, what an outstanding piece on General Milley. I don’t think I’ve read a better piece all year, so kudos to you.

    The best professor I ever had, Steve Roberts (Cokie’s husband) said that the news media is biased against whoever’s in power and in favor of a good story. I’ve been flabbergasted, frankly, at the coverage of the Biden presidency, and how legacy media in particular have bent over backwards to frame things poorly for this President, particularly given the continued strength of the economy. My perception is that too many reporters and editors are caught up in the concept of narrative and tailoring coverage based on what they believe the prevailing narrative is. Do you think we have a crisis in our news media?

  11. It is my understanding that Donald Trump and his associates have begun outlining proposals for utilizing the federal government to target some of his highest-profile critics should he secure a second term next year. Per reports, Trump has privately told advisors and close allies this year that he’d like to see the Department of Justice probe individuals who railed against his first administration. One of the names that was brought up by Trump includes Gen. Mark Milley.

    Trump has also floated the prosecutions of individuals at the FBI and the Department of Justice.

    **Beyond Milley, who were some other important individuals in safeguarding America against Trump and who might he target if re-elected?**

    Also, per reports, Trump’s associates are also mapping out ways to use the Insurrection Act at the start of a potential second term, which would give him the ability to use military forces to quell civil unrest.

    **Who, if anyone, would take on the brave role Milley played last time around? And, what impact might Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s actions in preventing military appointments be in how that plays out?**

  12. Do you think Milley has retirement plans that include politics?

  13. If trump had a friendly general in charge, would he try to execute a coup?

  14. > Along the way, he deflected Trump’s exhortations to have the U.S. military ignore, and even on occasion commit, war crimes.

    What war crimes did Trump ask Miley or the US military to commit?

  15. How do you think the role of social media in elections has evolved from 2020, and do you think there has been any meaningful change regarding oversight of false information on such platforms?

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