Changes: Portrait of Gen. Mark Milly Removed from Pentagon Shortly After Inauguration
Bada bing. Ten days ago, a new portrait of Gen. Mark Milley, the former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was unveiled at the Pentagon. It was added to a collection of paintings of his predecessors in a Pentagon hallway.
However, less than two hours after President Donald Trump took his oath of office on Monday, it had vanished.
There’s no mystery. Neither Trump nor Milley have tried to hide their mutual disdain for each other.
Milley was first appointed to his lofty position in 2019 by Trump. The rift in their relationship began during the George Floyd riots in June 2020. Members of Black Lives Matter had tried, but fortunately failed, to burn down St. John’s Church in Washington, D.C.’s Lafayette Square. Trump, accompanied by several advisers and Cabinet members, famously walked to the church and was photographed as he held up a Bible. Milley was among that group.
The legacy media, which sympathized with and supported BLM, alleged that U.S. Park Police “violently” cleared a crowd of protesters from Lafayette Square solely for this photo-op. The event sparked a media frenzy.
[Note: One year later, the inspector general of the Interior Department released a report stating that the USPP had cleared the park to allow fencing to be installed “in response to destruction of property and injury to officers.” By then, however, the damage had already been done.]
Because military members are expected to remain apolitical and he had participated in a “political event,” Milley was filled with remorse. And, during a pre-recorded commencement address to the National Defense University graduating class, Milley apologized.
“As senior leaders, everything you do will be closely watched, and I am not immune, as many of you saw the result of that photograph of me at Lafayette Square last week,” he told the graduates.
“I should not have been there. My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics. As a commissioned, uniformed officer, it was a mistake that I have learned from and I sincerely hope we all can learn from it.”
Perhaps Milley is best remembered for allegedly telling his Chinese counterpart that he would alert him if Trump were to plan any surprise attacks.
Milley was never made to answer for this allegation. At best, his action could be viewed as disloyalty to his commander-in-chief. At worst, it could be considered treason.
Milley continued to serve in his role for nearly three more years during the Biden administration. Viewing the enemy of his enemy as a friend, former President Joe Biden included Milley on a list of individuals granted preemptive pardons just hours before his term ended on Monday.
And that, my friends, is likely why Milley’s portrait no longer hangs in the Pentagon hallway. And why it won’t be returning anytime soon.
Elizabeth writes commentary for The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a member of the Editorial Board at The Sixteenth Council, a London think tank. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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