Thomas Ricks on ‘Radio Times’: ‘Let a thousand Trumpian failures bloom’

 President Donald Trump greets members of the military as he arrives on Air Force One at Harrisburg International Airport in Middletown, Pa., Saturday, April, 29, 2017. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)

President Donald Trump greets members of the military as he arrives on Air Force One at Harrisburg International Airport in Middletown, Pa., Saturday, April, 29, 2017. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)

On Radio Times Friday, while talking with host Marty Moss-Coane about his new book “Churchill and Orwell,” Ricks took time to share his thoughts on President Trump.

In his 30-plus years of as a military journalist, Thomas Ricks has seen the ravages of war and the toll of human rights abuses across the world. His many years as a military correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and currently Foreign Policy has given him insight into the people, the policies, and the politics of U.S. military.

On Radio Times Friday, while talking with host Marty Moss-Coane about his new book “Churchill and Orwell,” Ricks took time to share his thoughts on President Trump. Ricks says he used to advise people to go into government service but President Trump has made him change his mind. He told Marty, “watching [National Security Advisor] H.R. McMaster, I’ve come to think, no, do not go into this government in any capacity. Let a thousand Trumpian failures bloom. Don’t put lipstick on this pig. Let’s get the full reactionary, incompetent Trump.  Don’t enable him. Don’t make him mildly competent. Let Bannon rule. And let’s see how America does, because it won’t do well, and I think the Republicans are going to get creamed if they don’t separate themselves from this President.”

Despite his criticism of the current commander-in-chief, Ricks sees some encouraging signs saying “the U.S. government has been really robust. It’s chugging along.”

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

To hear more from Thomas Ricks, listen to the full interview on Radio Times.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal