Top General Suddenly Quits

Summary

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The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Top General Suddenly Quits
Date: June 24, 2026
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas

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Episode Overview

This episode provides a deep dive into the sudden resignation of four-star General Chris Donahue, Army Commander in Europe and Africa. The Meiselas brothers explore the context behind Donahue's exit, framing it as part of a broader purge of experienced and respected military leaders under the Trump administration and Acting Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Through sharp analysis and notable audio clips, the hosts highlight the clash between traditional military leadership and the Trump/Hegseth-accelerated shift toward loyalty and ideology over expertise. The discussion is colored by the brothers' signature blend of outrage, humor, and staunch pro-democracy commentary.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. General Chris Donahue’s Career and Sudden Resignation

[01:00–05:34]

• General Donahue, a decorated Delta Force leader and "the last soldier to leave Afghanistan", has abruptly resigned as Commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa effective July 2nd.
• The hosts emphasize his reputation as a top candidate for Army Chief of Staff or Joint Chiefs Chairman, describing him as "beloved" and widely respected.
• This is contextualized as part of a calculated campaign by the Trump administration and Pete Hegseth to force out seasoned, non-sycophantic military leadership and replace them with loyalists.

"Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth have worked to destroy the reputation and capabilities of the United States military."
—Host [01:00]

2. The Impact of Ongoing Military Leadership Purge

[05:34–07:32]

• The episode reviews a wave of recent high-profile oustings and resignations, disproportionately affecting women, minorities, and established leaders:
  • Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George
  • Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield
  • Air Force Chief Gen. Charles Q. Brown
  • Others including Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard leaders
• The brothers frame this as “generational damage” that has left the military hollowed out of experience, ethics, and diversity.

“The Trump regime is gutting, destroying, ripping to shreds the most respected leaders in the United States military… replacing them with people who are willing to behave as bootlickers and sycophants.”
—Host [04:54]

3. Donahue’s Leadership Philosophy vs. Hegseth/Trump Style

[05:34–09:10]

• General Donahue on coalition-building:
  He stresses the importance of unity, data-driven standards, and collaboration among allies—including NATO, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand—central to U.S. and global security.
  • Notable quote:

  "So as we talk about everything that all these things that everybody talks about, what is the specificity required to truly make that change?... the eastern flank deterrence line is the capability that hinges all these regional plans together."
  —Gen. Donahue [06:46]

• On change management:
  Donahue highlights transparency and buy-in as critical for transformation.
  • Notable quote:

  "If you have not put across to your command why you have to change and they have to buy into it, if they don't buy into it, you're not going to change."
  —Gen. Donahue [07:40]

• On process and culture:
  Emphasizes the need for real, process-driven change—not just vision statements.
  • Notable quote:

  "You can go out and have the best culture in the world... but if you don't get it into the process, it doesn't matter."
  —Gen. Donahue [08:18]

4. Accountability and Error Culture in Military Command

[10:25–11:25]

• Donahue advocates for honest admission of mistakes and correcting course, contrasting this with Trump/Hegseth's pattern of denial and cover-up.
  • Notable quote:

  "It's about your team. It's about your mission… nobody cares if you mess up. Just own it and move on. If they see that, oh, the boss messed up, I can tell them when I messed up… It's not about the fact that you messed up… just tell us so we can correct it."
  —Gen. Donahue [10:51]

• The hosts decry the current administration's culture of impunity and lack of accountability.

5. The Hegseth/Trump Approach: Authoritarianism and Encouragement of War Crimes

[11:25–14:13]

• The hosts cite alarming allegations from the book "Regime Change" about Trump and Hegseth enjoying war crime video footage.
• Comments on Hegseth's performative speeches and supposed encouragement of illegal conduct (“untie your hands and unleash you to get it done…”).
  • Audio clip and commentary:

  "So on behalf of the War Department and President Trump... we're going to untie your hands and unleash you to get it done..."
  —Pete Hegseth [13:03]

• Discussion of the dangerous shift toward impunity and the erosion of lawful command structures.

6. Congressional Oversight and the Rise of Sycophants

[14:13–17:32]

• Example given: Admiral Brad Cooper, described as devolving into a “MAGA loser” and being mocked by colleagues for prioritizing loyalty to Trump over professional ethics.
• Audio of a heated congressional exchange where Admiral Cooper dodges direct questions about unlawful orders and war conduct, refusing to explicitly state what is prohibited by the Law of War manual.
  • Sample exchange:

  "Will you not just say what I just read to you? ...Will you agree that it is prohibited... to declare that no quarter be given?"
  —Congressman [15:39–16:28]
  “I will agree. Consistent with my constitutional responsibility to follow the law of armed conflict to the T.”
  —Adm. Brad Cooper [16:28]

7. Consequences and Outlook

[17:37–end]

• The hosts warn that the removal of seasoned military leaders leaves the U.S. vulnerable, suggesting this instability benefits foreign adversaries (notably, Russia and Putin).
• The Pentagon's press operations are being undermined, with Hegseth turning press rooms into classified spaces to avoid scrutiny.

“You have Pete Hegseth out there turning the press conference room in the Pentagon into a SKIFF... in order to ban the press. This is what little weak, pathetic losers like Pete… This is how they behave and it’s really sad to see.”
—Host [17:40]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Generational Damage:
  “Hegseth and Donald Trump have done generational damage to the United States military.” —Host [01:00]

• On Transparent Command:
  “Nobody cares if you mess up. Just own it and move on… If they see that, oh, the boss messed up, I can tell them when I messed up…” —Gen. Chris Donahue [10:51]

• On Removal of Leaders:
  “The Trump regime is gutting, destroying, ripping to shreds the most respected leaders in the United States military... replacing them with people who are willing to behave as bootlickers and sycophants.” —Host [04:54]

• On War Crimes Culture:
  “As we learned from the book Regime Change, they report that Hegseth and Donald Trump would love to watch the death videos together of those war crimes... it’s sadistic and disgusting.” —Host [11:25]

• On Congressional Accountability:
  “I just read the provision to you... Does it prohibit you or anyone else from declaring that no quarter be given?” —Congressman [15:39]
  “I will agree. Consistent with my constitutional responsibility to follow the law of armed conflict to the T.” —Adm. Cooper [16:28]

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Important Timestamps

• [01:00] — Announcement of Gen. Donahue’s resignation and wider military purge
• [05:34] — Gen. Donahue on global threats and alliance building
• [07:40] — Gen. Donahue on change management and military culture
• [10:51] — Gen. Donahue on accountability and handling mistakes
• [13:03] — Clip: Pete Hegseth’s speech encouraging “unleashed” military conduct
• [15:01] — Congressional hearing featuring Admiral Cooper’s evasive testimony
• [17:40] — Press access restricted at Pentagon, hosts’ final commentary

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Episode Tone & Style

The Meiselas brothers maintain their characteristic mix of frank progressive analysis, biting humor, and deeply felt alarm over the consequences of recent developments. Their language (e.g., “bootlickers,” “losers,” “generational damage”) pulls no punches, blending informed legal-political critique with street-level outrage and accessible explanations.

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Final Takeaways

This episode captures a pivotal moment as experienced military leadership is systematically removed, and replaced by ideologically loyal figures, signaling new consequences for U.S. defense, alliances, and democratic norms. The Meiselas brothers advocate vigilance, transparency, and a return to ethical, accountable command.

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Transcript

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[Narrator/Host]

bleeding out the top talent from the United States Military yet another four star general has announced his sudden and shocking resignation effective early July. Four star General Chris Donahue, who serves as the Army Commander in Europe and Africa, has announced that he will relinquish command on July 2nd. This as Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth have worked to destroy the reputation and cap capabilities of the United States military. General Chris Donahue was a beloved four star general. He was a beloved commander known for rising up the ranks and earning the respect of everyone. And he will now be forced out by Donald Trump and Hegseth at the same time. Donald Trump and Hegseth have done generational damage to the United States military. I want to talk briefly about General Donohue. He was also known as the last soldier to leave Afghanistan. Remember that night vision photo of the soldier leaving the Ahmed Karzai Airport? Yeah, that was General Donohue. The first to arrive, the last to leave. Let's talk a little bit about his background. This is how the Atlantic described it. His abrupt departure after 18 months is another sign of the mass upheaval within the United States military. He was widely seen as one of the Army's rising stars, a legendary Delta Force leader who was considered a top candidate for Army Chief of Staff or even Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, having distinguished himself in wars for the past two decades. But Hegseth sought to oust anyone who didn't fit his idea of what it means to be a Trump and Hegseth sycophant, AKA a loser. A career Ranger and Special Operations commander, Donohue served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria climbing through the ranks during two decades of counterterrorism wars as the US Military shifted its focus from hunting terrorist networks to preparing for conflicts against technologically sophisticated adversaries. Donahue did as well. In recent years, he took a top role in Europe as the Pentagon adapted lessons from Ukraine and other modern battlefields. His departure continues the exit of a generation of combat tested leaders at a time when Hegseth is destroying the leadership ranks of the United States military. Think about the upheaval that has unfolded over the past several months, the other high profile resignations. Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, the Army's top uniformed officer, to step down in April, and the army officer who led the Transportation and Training Command and the Chaplain Corps were removed from their roles as well. Navy's Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield was removed in April from from her position as the United States military. Hegseth and Donald Trump have refused to promote women and minorities. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, was ousted in February 2025, along with the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Lisa Frochetti and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General James Slife. Shortly before that, Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan was fired. Also, the head of US Milit military's Southern Command, Navy Admiral Alvin Halsey, retired at the end of last year and was forced out. In other words, the Trump regime is gutting, destroying, ripping to shreds the most respected leaders in the United States military, and they are replacing it with people who are willing to behave as bootlickers and sycophants. Let me show you the contrast right now. First, I want to share with you General Donohue's leadership style and you can see why he was viewed by Hegseth as such a threat. Here is Donohue talking about how his role as the army commander in Europe and Africa was a role of global scope and that there was a need to work with our allies carefully, methodically. Let me show you over here. Play this clip.

[General Chris Donahue]

What is our role as the military? What do we have to produce? The first thing is especially for the US military, but also for the 32 members of NATO, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. And you'll see many of these other four countries from Asia here as well. If you were to go across to sag, UN and satu, you see them there.

[Interviewer/Questioner]

Why?

[General Chris Donahue]

Because we understand the global threat. So what is our role here? So as the LANDCOM commander for NATO and as the United States Army Europe Africa commander, our previous Bosses, General Walters, General Cavoli, and now General George in particular, as we drive, what we have to do out here and what is that specifically? So as we talk about everything that all these things that everybody talks about, what is the specificity required to truly make that change? Well, the first thing is those previous leaders have converged all the plans so that we have unity of effort and unity of exactly what we have to do. And they're called the regional plans. Within those regional plans we started in the Baltics to try to get to, how do you actually make it so that industry and the nations know exactly what the requirements are? Ultimately, that is now known as the eastern flank deterrence line. The eastern flank deterrence line is the capability that hinges all these regional plans together. So as we all talk about these things that are so important, the use of data, you actually can use data. So whenever we talk about how are we going to use these new forms of mass, the unmanned systems, well, how do you build that to a standard that you can actually fight it throughout an alliance? But as important, because this is global, how do you use it in the Middle East? How do you use it in the Pacific? So all these standards have to be. And that's what the eastern flank deterrence line will bring to all.

[Narrator/Host]

Now here is Donahue talking about the culture of the military that he likes to foster. Here, play this clip right here.

[General Chris Donahue (continued)]

I think the number one thing is they have to understand the first is why you have to change. If you have not put across to your command why you have to change and they have to buy into it. If they don't buy into it, you're not going to change. The next is you have to actually provide a legitimate vision and then turn that vision into a plan that you're going to change. And to accomplish the why, okay, this is why we have to change. Here's the vision of how we're going to do it. Here's the actual plan. And then that gets into culture and process of how you actually execute that change, right? Because you have to constantly update.

[General Chris Donahue]

You're going to fail.

[General Chris Donahue (continued)]

You're going to do good things. So it's that culture of making sure that they know, hey, this is the environment we want to create, and this is why you have to change. And then the process to actually do it, which is hugely important, right? You can go out and have the best culture in the world and go out and make temporary changes, but if you don't get it into the process, it doesn't matter. You know, right now we're developing the eastern flank deterrence line, which we'll talk about. But if you don't put that into a process where people actually buy the things that you have to do for this, you can have the greatest plan, the greatest vision. We're doing all kinds of awesome, unique stuff we've never done before, but you actually have to put things into the ground. People, people actually have to train and they have to believe and have faith that that's going to work in combat.

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[General Chris Donahue (continued)]

It's about your team. It's about your mission. It's about everything else. Like, you know, nobody cares if you mess up. Just own it and move on. Right? And you know, and Joe, I know you feel the exact same way. If you mess up, tell everyone else you messed up. Let them see that. Because if they see that, oh, the boss messed up, I can tell them when I messed up, because you just want to know what's going on. I don't care if anybody messed up. It's not about the fact that you messed up. Right. It's about just tell us you messed up so we can correct it and get back to what we want to do.

[Narrator/Host]

Now, contrast that to Hegseth and Trump. As we learned from the book Regime Change, they report that Hegseth and Donald Trump would love to watch the death videos together of those war crimes where the United States military is killing all those people in the fishing boats off of the coast of Venezuela. According to the book, Hegseth and Trump love to watch the charred corpses. And they get off on it, essentially. I know it's sadistic and disgusting, but this is what Hegseth and Donald Trump like to do together. Also, we've learned that Hegseth has run out of money at the Defense Department. He is utterly incompetent. They are now demanding $80 billion for the war in Iran, which they claim only cost $29 billion, or else they are imminently going to be unable to pay contractors. And we are so low on our munitions that this budget request by Hegseth is being done on an emergency basis. You have Hegseth going out there and just like dancing around and as Governor Newsom says, prancing Pete. And then you have Hegseth over here when he was in Cuba, basically saying to it, saying to the troops and like in such a performative, straight to DVD movie kind of way, which is Trump has your back. Your hands are unleashed. Do what you need to do, and we'll have your back. In other words, he was encouraging them to commit war crimes on camera. Let's play this clip.

[Pete Hegseth]

So on behalf of the War Department and President Trump, he always wants me to tell you that he's got your back. He's got your back in the circumstances that you need to undertake. That's all I ever wanted when I was a lieutenant here or first lieutenant in Iraq. You're gonna ask me to do tough things or difficult things. Do I have to make a tough decision? At moments notice, Just. Just have my back. Because not everything's gonna go right every single time. But if I'm doing it for the right reasons and on behalf of the country, we are gonna untie your hands and unleash you to get it done so that you come home and the bad guy does it. That's the point.

[Narrator/Host]

And Here he is, like, trying to act all tough. He's like, iran would be unwise to challenge us further. Yeah, we're dudes. Here's what Hegseth had to say. Let's play this clip with the folks

[Pete Hegseth]

slinging it out in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and ensuring Iran doesn't target shipping. And again, we're prepared there to do what needs to be done right now. They're defensive strikes to ensure we protect our people. Again, Iran would be unwise to challenge us further. President Trump is seeking a deal, but not just a deal. A great deal on behalf of the American people. Said, Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.

[Narrator/Host]

And so the type of person who climbs the ranks under the Trump regime is someone like Brad Cooper. Brad Cooper runs centcom. And when I first saw Brad Cooper a year ago or so, I said, hey, seems like a normal military guy. But I've seen Cooper devolve into a Trump sycophant where he goes in front of Congress and just behaves like Hegseth and Trump. And it's been and really sad to see. What I hear from my military sources is that they all believe that Cooper is basically a traitor at this point and that he is behaving like such a MAGA loser that they never thought that Cooper would behave like that, and they all mock Cooper behind his back. Here's what Cooper had to say at his last congressional hearing. Let's play him.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

I just read it to you. I just read it to you.

[Interviewer/Questioner]

Yes, sir.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

You're a combatant commander. You're one of our most senior military officers with tens of thousands of service members under your command. Does the law of war manual state that it is prohibited to utter to declare that no quarter be given?

[Interviewer/Questioner]

It prohibits a large number of things.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

No, no.

[Interviewer/Questioner]

I've asked, and I will follow.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

I just read the provision to you. I just literally read the provision to you. Does it prohibit you or anyone else from declaring that no quarter be given? I just read it to you.

[Interviewer/Questioner]

We will follow everything that's in the law.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

Answer the question. Admiral Cooper, you have tens of thousands of service members under your command. I literally just read a provision on the law of war manual. Our own manual. Will you not just say what I just read to you?

[Interviewer/Questioner]

I will say that we will follow the law of armed conflict to the t.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

This is just unbelievable to me.

[Interviewer/Questioner]

I find the same thing, sir.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

This is just unbelievable to me.

[Interviewer/Questioner]

Follow the law of armed conflict. You have very calmly.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

You have tens of thousands of service members under your command. I Literally, verbatim. Just read a provision from our own Law of War manual and you will refuse to say what that provision says. Will you agree that it is prohibited under our own manual that you and all the people under your command are obligated to follow to declare that no quarter be given?

[Interviewer/Questioner]

I will. I will agree. Consistent with my constitutional responsibility to follow the law of armed conflict to the T. And I expect everyone working for me to do that.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

This is not. This is not leadership. This is not leadership. To not be able to say something as basic the people, the men and women who we represent who are under Your command deserve. Mr. Chairman, I object. This is a personal attack. This is unfair and appreciate very much as a baby.

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[Congressman/Interrogator]

This is well within the purview.

[Pete Hegseth]

Please.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

Well within the purview of my question, if I may.

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Gentleman's time.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

He's reclaimed my time. Can I reclaim some additional time?

[General Chris Donahue]

I'm going to give you some extra time.

[Pete Hegseth]

Go ahead.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

It's our job to make sure the law is being followed. That is literally the obligation of this Congress. I read to you a provision of our own law of War manual. And all I want you to say is what the provision says. That it is prohibited. It is prohibited. This is the title. This is what the title says. To declare that no quarter be given.

[Interviewer/Questioner]

I will follow the law to the T and expect everyone to do the same.

[Congressman/Interrogator]

This is extremely disappointing. Our service members deserve far better than this. I yield back.

[General Chris Donahue]

Jimin yields back. I want to make clear, you know,

[Narrator/Host]

while you have Hegseth forcing out and having people like Donahue quit and again depriving us of kind of the critical military leadership during these deeply uncertain times, I mean, seems like it would fall right into the hands of like Putin and our and people who wish the United States ill. You have Pete Hegseth out there turning the press conference room in the Pentagon into a skiff. A sensitive compartmented information facility in order to ban the press. This is what little weak, pathetic losers like Pete. This is how they behave and it's really sad to see. Well, there you have it. We'll keep you posted every step of the way. Thanks for watching. Let me know what you think. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our [e-mail] you'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski ad free episodes of our podcast and more exclusive content Only [e-mail].

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