Which joint chiefs criticized trump during his presidency and what were their exact statements?

1. Who from the Joint Chiefs criticized Trump — and where that reporting comes from

The clearest example in the files is retired Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, whose comments about Trump appear in reporting on Bob Woodward’s book: Milley is quoted as calling Trump “a total fascist” and saying he believed Trump was “the most dangerous person to the U.S.” ^[1]. Other pieces in the set cover tensions between President Trump and the serving Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr., culminating in Brown’s dismissal by Trump in February 2025 ^{[2] [3]}. Available sources do not mention other specific joint chiefs by name criticizing Trump with quoted language.

2. Milley’s quoted language and context

The Hill’s reporting cites Milley’s remarks as excerpted from a new Woodward book and reports Milley called Trump “a total fascist” and said Trump was “the most dangerous person to the U.S.” ^[1]. The article frames these as direct characterizations Milley made after his Joint Chiefs tenure; the source explicitly links the quotes to excerpts in Bob Woodward’s reporting ^[1]. The Hill article also notes Milley has “often spoken out against Trump” and relayed stories from his time in the Joint Chiefs between 2019 and 2023 ^[1].

3. The Brown–Trump confrontation and the firing of a serving chairman

Multiple sources document an acrimonious relationship between President Trump and Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr., who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs and was fired by Trump on Feb. 21, 2025 ^[2]. Military Times reports the removal and places it in a broader Pentagon shake-up, noting that Brown had been a visible and sometimes controversial figure at the intersection of military leadership and social issues; the Oversight Democrats document and other reporting catalogue the firings and subsequent administrative responses ^{[2] [3]}. PBS’s Washington Week discussion also frames Trump’s earlier attempts to exert control over the military and the political implications of removing a confirmed chairman ^[4].

4. What the sources show — and what they don’t

The provided files show direct, attributed quotations for Milley’s denunciation of Trump and confirm Trump’s firing of Brown ^{[1] [2]}. They do not provide a comprehensive list of every Joint Chiefs member who criticized Trump nor do they present verbatim criticism from serving Joint Chiefs other than accounts about institutional friction surrounding Brown’s removal (available sources do not mention other joint chiefs’ exact statements). The record here mixes retired officers’ post-tenure commentary (Milley) and reporting about administrative actions involving serving officers (Brown) rather than a catalogue of contemporaneous, verbatim criticisms from the full Joint Chiefs body ^{[1] [2]}.

5. Competing perspectives and implicit agendas in these reports

The Hill’s piece relies on a high-profile author’s book excerpts and foregrounds Milley’s severe language about Trump ^[1]. That framing can amplify the views of a retired partisan-era official; readers should note the source’s dependence on Woodward’s reporting and Milley’s post-service status ^[1]. Coverage of Brown’s firing (Military Times, Oversight Democrats, PBS) emphasizes institutional norms, Senate confirmation history, and political consequences; Democratic oversight documents frame the removals as part of a “purge,” while Pentagon statements quoted elsewhere defend personnel actions ^{[2] [3] [4]}. Each source brings different interpretive angles—personal memoir excerpts, defense reporting, and congressional oversight—so motives include accountability, institutional defense, and political framing.

6. What to watch next and limits of current reporting

The available set documents strong language from a prominent retired chairman (Milley) and administrative action against a sitting chairman (Brown) ^{[1] [2]}. It does not catalogue remarks by other Joint Chiefs members or provide full transcripts of alleged exchanges between military leaders and the president; those details are not found in current reporting provided here (available sources do not mention other joint chiefs’ exact statements). Future reporting to seek: full primary-source transcripts, contemporaneous statements by serving Joint Chiefs, and responses from the officers named to verify context and any classified operational concerns related to the disputes (not found in current reporting).

Sources cited: The Hill on Milley and Woodward excerpts ^[1]; Military Times, Oversight Democrats, and PBS coverage of Brown’s firing and congressional/political reactions ^{[2] [3] [4]}.