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Former aide H.R. McMaster on how Trump enjoys “pitting people against each other”
Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster had been a soldier for three decades when Donald Trump named him his national security adviser just one month into his administration. “Lots of people told me not to do it,” McMaster said. “People were calling me up who really detested President Trump and saying, ‘You can’t do it, it’ll sulley your reputation.'”
Thirteen months later, Trump fired him.
“I got used up essentially in the service of Donald Trump,” McMaster said. “I was at peace with that. And I was not going to try to keep my job by telling the president what he wanted to hear.”
Now, in a book titled “At War With Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House,” McMaster (a CBS News contributor) describes a White House where “everything … was much harder than it needed to be.”
“None of the friction that I encountered in the White House was completely unprecedented, but it was next level,” he said. “It went to 11! Everything was cranked up to a higher level.”
HarperCollins
His first real business meeting with Trump was a presidential daily brief, an intelligence briefing that all presidents get. McMaster said, “I have a distinct impression of that meeting of being really not very effective for the president. President Trump plays to an audience, and it was too big of an audience in the Oval Office.”
Martin asked, “And would the audience play to him?”
“The audience would play to him. I describe the environment as an environment of competitive sycophancy,” McMaster replied.
“Did he want advice, or did he want flattery?”
“The president wanted advice; he also wanted flattery. He really likes the adulation. In many ways he’s kind of addicted to adulation from his political base, from people around him.”
McMaster was happy to serve and eager to reverse what he considered President Obama’s “weak-kneed” foreign policy. He said, “I saw actually so many of our policies as in need of disruption. I was grateful for [Trump’s] disruptive nature. I saw it as my job to try to help him disrupt what needed to be disrupted.”
Evan Vucci/AP
At his first NATO Summit, Trump took disruption to a whole new level. Unhappy some members were not spending enough on defense, he made some last-minute changes to his speech. According to McMaster, Trump added, “If countries don’t pay their dues, then we’re not going to defend that particular country.”
McMaster found out just as they were departing for NATO headquarters. As Trump’s limousine pulled up, there was an awkward delay while a frantic intervention took place in the back seat. “I convinced a reluctant Secretary of State Tillerson and Secretary of Defense Mattis to get in the Beast, the President’s armored car, with me to talk him out of that,” McMaster explained.
It was one of the few times the three of them agreed on something.
CBS News
McMaster described his relations with Tillerson and Mattis as less than harmonious: “They were difficult at times. They regarded the president as a danger to U.S. interests, a danger to some of our relationships internationally.”
Martin asked, “The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense viewed the President of the United States as dangerous?“
“Yes,” McMaster replied. “He was dangerous in particular to what they thought an effective foreign policy should be.”
McMaster never considered Trump “dangerous,” but the president’s affinity for autocrats made him uneasy. “President Trump sees in authoritarian leaders the qualities that he wants other people to see in him,” he said.
In particular Russian President Vladamir Putin, whom McMaster said would appeal to Trump’s “desire for flattery. He would appeal to the president’s skepticism about long-term military commitments abroad.”
“Could Putin play Trump?” Martin asked.
“He knew really what Trump’s predilections were,” McMaster said. “One of my roles was to alert him to that – to say, ‘Mr. President, you know, this guy is the best liar in the world.'”
But when it came to listening to his own advisers, McMaster writes, Trump could be “reflexively contrarian.”
“Oh my gosh, if you bring the president a course of action and say, ‘Everybody agrees, whatever you do, don’t do this thing,’ he’s going to do it just to spite everybody,” he said.
With Venezuela’s anti-American regime cracking down on protesters, Trump walked out to meet the press with McMaster, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. “Rex Tillerson says to him, ‘Hey, Mr. President, whatever you do, don’t say that we’re planning any military options for Venezuela,” McMaster recalled.
Trump told the press, “We have many options for Venezuela, and, by the way, I’m not going to rule out a military option.”
Tillerson lasted just over a year before he was fired.
Martin asked, “Why do so many of the senior people who work for Donald Trump end up being either fired, or quitting?”
“You get used up in that environment,” McMaster replied. “President Trump does enjoy kind of pitting people against each other, you know? That creates a lot of angst in people.”
“Was he just plain nasty?”
“At times he could be nasty,” said McMaster, “especially when he’s tired, especially when he’s grumpy, especially when he feels beleaguered. There were a couple times where, you know, nobody wanted to be around him, you know? And I’m, like, the last guy. I mean, I have to be with him, right? I would get in the car and he would just unload on me.”
The end came after a Trump phone call with Turkey’s President Erdoğan, which got off to a bad start when McMaster tried to prep him.
Martin asked, “What did he have against preparation?”
“Well, he found it to be tedious,” McMaster replied. “And he had great confidence in his own instincts, right? So, like, Why am I prepping for this?“
McMaster decided to quit, but Trump fired him first, and at a private farewell ceremony told his family, “Make sure he only writes nice things about me.”
The Trump campaign did not respond to requests from “CBS Sunday Morning” for comment about McMaster’s book.
McMaster retreated to the ivory tower of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he writes and teaches, and where he watched the events of January 6th. Trump, he said, “encouraged an attack, you know, on the first branch of government, and an attack on the peaceful transition of power, and I think that that was an abandonment of his responsibilities to the Constitution.”
Martin asked, “Is he fit to hold office?”
“That’s the judgment that the American people have to make; I don’t want to tell people how to vote,” McMaster replied.
“Will he be getting your vote?”
“I’m not gonna ever tell anybody my vote,” he said.
But he will tell you what he experienced in the first Trump administration – and what that might mean for a second.
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme,” McMaster said. “I think it does, you know, foreshadow what we might expect in a second Trump administration as well.”
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Story produced by Mary Walsh. Editor: Emanuele Secci.
CBS News
U.S. Air Force gives update on new B-21 stealth bomber: “Nobody on the planet can do what we’re doing”
Air Force leaders gave an update on the B-21 Raider, a futuristic aircraft that is expected to become the United States’ next nuclear stealth bomber.
The aircraft can deliver both “conventional and nuclear munitions,” according to a news release from the Air Force, but will be “critical to deterring conflict” around the world. Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command, said the stealth bomber will help the United States keep pace with threats worldwide.
“We are the free world’s only bomber force. … Nobody on the planet can do what we’re doing right now,” Bussiere said, adding that there will likely be an increased demand for the support the stealth bomber can provide in the coming years.
Air Force Global Strike Command
Currently, the stealth bomber remains in the test flight stage, and is doing two such flights a week, according to Thomas Jones, the Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems sector president. A photo shared by the Air Force shows one of the bombers during flight testing.
“We’re really starting to strike up quite a cadence … when we started this journey, we made a vow that we were going to design this system to be a daily flyer,” Jones said, according to the release. “It’s been a phenomenal year of progress, and we hope to continue that through the next year.”
A recent notable test confirmed the stealth bomber’s structural design and integrity, according to officials. The plane is now going through a fatigue testing campaign.
Once the planes are tested, some of the aircraft will be delivered to the Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota to help train Air Force squadrons on the stealth bomber. When the B-21 enters the service, this site will be the main operating base for the stealth bomber.
Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri will be a secondary base, and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas a third.
The stealth bomber is set to replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers in the Air Force’s fleet.
Getty Images
Whether you’re barreling down a mountainside or taking a leisurely ride along your local trail, a great mountain bike is key. But what exactly does a great mountain bike look like, in terms of features? It depends on the kind of terrain and riding style you do.
The best mountain bike for long, cross-country rides will have very different specs than a downhill bike. Some offer full suspension for a smooth ride on bumpy trails. Some have wider tires that are better at gripping wet or sandy terrain. Some are designed for maximum pedaling efficiency and serious stopping power so you can climb steep mountainsides without wearing yourself out. No matter where you and your new bike are headed this fall, we’ve rounded up the best mountain bikes for every rider and every terrain in 2024. Don’t forget to strap on your bike helmet.
Best mountain bike for beginners: Giant Talon 29 1
Mike’s Bikes
The Giant Talon 29 1 is a solid entry-level mountain bike at a reasonable price point. With its balanced frame geometry and high-traction tires, it’s great for a comfortable, stable ride on most trails. While that means it’s not specialized for uphill climbs or cross-country speed, the balanced design is great for beginners or casual riders who aren’t planning to tackle those more challenging technical trails just yet.
With 80mm to 100mm of suspension travel, this hardtail mountain bike strikes that perfect balance of pedaling efficiency and shock absorption.
Riders can also adjust the suspension within that range by adjusting the air spring and the rebound damping. That gives you improved steering precision and a better ride feel since you can tailor it to your needs. If you’re a beginner, it may take some trial and error to fine-tune those settings, but playing around with them is a great way to learn how suspension impacts your ride.
Get this reliable entry-level mountain bike at Mike’s Bikes for $950.
Top features of the Giant Talon 29 1:
- Grippy tires offer great traction in any trail conditions.
- The balanced frame geometry makes this a comfortable bike for most riders.
- The adjustable suspension fork allows you to fine-tune this mountain bike for your needs.
Best trail bike: Santa Cruz Tallboy C R
Backcountry
A full-suspension mountain bike with 120mm and 130mm suspension travel on the rear and front, respectively, it doesn’t get cushier than the Santa Cruz Tallboy C R (at least, not at this price point). Built for cross-country or trail riding, this bike’s design allows you to glide through rocky terrain almost as if you were just cruising on a paved road. That suspension also helps cushion the impact on pops and short drops so you can build up speed while navigating the trail with confidence.
With that said, it can be a little sluggish on uphill climbs. But if you typically stick to more straightforward trails, you won’t have to deal with that issue. For those just-for-fun weekend trail rides, this is the mountain bike you want.
Get this comfortable, agile trail bike at Backcountry while it’s on sale for $3,849 (reduced from $4,799).
Top features of the Santa Cruz Tallboy C R:
- Boasting full suspension, this mountain bike is a comfy ride no matter how bumpy the terrain.
- The carbon C frame is both lightweight and stiff for better control and improved agility.
- The four-piston brakes offer excellent stopping power.
Best fat tire mountain bike: State 6061 Trail+
State Bicycle Co.
For wet or sandy trails, traction is everything, which means you need a fat tire bike like the State 6061 Trail+. With 4.5-inch wide tires that can handle running even at low PSI, this mountain bike can grip the trail no matter how loose or slippery.
Whether you want to cruise along sandy beaches or power through snowy mountain trails, the stability of this fat tire bike is the key to doing so safely and confidently. You won’t be building up much speed, but you’ll have a lot of fun plowing through trails that a standard trail bike couldn’t even touch.
Get this fat tire bike directly from State Bicycle Co. for $1,000.
Top features of the State 6061 Trail+:
- Thick 4.5-inch tires provide extra grip for wet or loose terrain like snow, sand and mud.
- With low PSI capabilities, you can lower the tire pressure to widen the surface area even further to maximize your grip on soft, slippery trails.
- The alloy frame is stiff and strong without adding any more bulk than necessary.
Best mountain bike under $500: Huffy Stone Mountain
Amazon
The Huffy Stone Mountain is a hardtail mountain bike that is lightweight and offers good traction for navigating trails. The budget-friendly bike is missing a lot of the features you’ll find on the more advanced mountain bikes listed above. However, if you’re just starting out and just want to get out on a trail to see if you like mountain biking, this is a good bike to start with.
While you can’t take it on any serious trails, it’s got the basics you need for easy local bike trails. Use it to get a feel for the sport and then upgrade to a mountain bike better suited to the kind of trails you want to tackle. Then, pass this Huffy Stone Mountain on to a friend or teen who’s curious about mountain biking.
A bestseller on Amazon, this budget mountain bike is available for as low as $200.
Top features of the Huffy Stone Mountain:
- This budget entry-level bike is great for casual rides on easy bike trails.
- A wide variety of frame and wheel sizes allows you to get the right fit for your height.
- The lightweight, high-traction design is just enough to let you get a feel for mountain biking before committing to a higher-priced mountain bike with more advanced features and customizability.
Shop more top-rated mountain bikes:
What type of mountain bike should a beginner get?
The best mountain bike for a beginner is a balanced, versatile one. Since you’re probably not tackling steep inclines and declines yet, opt for a trail bike that offers great traction, strong brakes and easy maneuverability along bumpy, muddy trails. That means grippy tires and responsive steering so you can confidently control your bike over tree roots, up hills and on descents.
If the trails you’re eager to go on are largely uphill, look for a bike that’s lightweight with a firmer pedaling platform. Those two features will improve climb efficiency so you’re not wearing yourself out on those uphill stretches.
Do I need a full-suspension mountain bike?
You don’t need a full-suspension mountain bike, but they are nice to have. Unlike hardtail mountain bikes, which only have suspension in the front, full-suspension mountain bikes have suspension in both the front and rear. That extra suspension helps absorb shock, cushioning the impact as you hop over bumps or navigate downhill jumps and drops.
That cushier feel can be nice even on milder trail rides, but they tend to be significantly more expensive and require more maintenance than a hardtail mountain bike. So it might not be worth the extra expense and care if you don’t usually do technical trails or downhill riding.
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