Video: Donald Trump wants James 'Mad Dog' Mattis for Secretary of Defense

At a 'thank you' victory rally in Cincinnati Thursday evening, President-elect Donald Trump announced he would "appoint" former Marine Corps General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense. </s> President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that he will nominate U.S. Marine retired Gen. James Mattis, who oversaw U.S. war efforts in the Middle East, to be his defense secretary.

“We are going to appoint ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as our secretary of defense,” Trump told a large crowd in Cincinnati, Ohio, referring by nickname to the tough-talking general who headed the U.S. Central Command, giving him authority over troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“He’s our best. They say he’s the closest thing to (World War II-era) Gen. George Patton that we have,” Trump said, apparently divulging his pick days ahead of schedule as his transition team had already said there would be no more Cabinet announcements this week.

“Okay. So I gave up a little secret. My people over there are probably saying, ‘You weren’t supposed to do that, Mr Trump,'” the president-elect quipped.

Mattis, who is 66, commanded a Marine battalion during the First Gulf War and a Marine division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2010, the tough-talking native of Washington state was named to head the U.S. Central Command.

That gave him authority over troops in Iraq, where he helped develop a counterinsurgency approach before overseeing the U.S. withdrawal, and Afghanistan, where he implemented a troop surge. It also gave him responsibility for an area including Syria, Yemen and Iran.

Previously, he led the U.S. Joint Forces Command and a NATO command charged with preparing the alliance’s forces to meet future challenges.

A colorful commander, he earned the nickname “Mad Dog” with his battle-hardened swagger and the sort of blunt language marines are famous for. He has been quoted as saying, “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.”

But to serve as defense secretary, Mattis would need Senate confirmation — and a waiver of a law that bans uniformed military officers from serving in that post for seven years after leaving active duty.

The law is intended to ensure the bedrock notion of civilian control of the nation’s military.

For the first event on his post-election “thank you” tour, Trump on Thursday drew a crowd of several thousand people to a Cincinnati arena — but perhaps one that lacked the fervor seen at his campaign rallies.

The US Bank Arena in the Ohio city has a capacity of more than 17,000, but on Thursday night before the Republican billionaire was due to take the stage with running mate Mike Pence, about half the seats were empty.

On Oct. 13, a few weeks before Election Day, enthusiastic Trump supporters packed the arena — 21,000 of them, according to the president-elect himself at the time.

“It’s cold outside,” said Tim Smolinski, a 63-year-old semi-retired aerospace engineer, who had no trouble finding a good seat along with his wife.

Other attendees said huge traffic jams and sealed-off roads near the venue — home to the minor league Cincinnati Cyclones ice hockey team — could explain why the arena was not full.

Throughout the presidential campaign, which ended with Trump’s Nov. 8 victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton, the Manhattan property mogul drew huge enthusiastic crowds.

But on Thursday, there was no wait at the security checkpoint to enter — and also no lines at the concession stands.

Those present nevertheless were thrilled that the 70-year-old Trump has undertaken what is essentially a victory tour — an unusual step for a newly elected president — in the key swing states that handed him the presidency.

“I think it’s just exciting that he even wants to spend the time to acknowledge the people that brought him to the place that he is,” said 71-year-old Terry Babic, 71, who said he is retired but still does radio broadcasting.

Babic said he and his wife drove five hours from Cleveland just to attend.

The Trump supporters in attendance said that so far, the president-elect had met their expectations during the transition period before he succeeds Barack Obama on Jan. 20, despite media reports of tensions and hiccups in the process.

“Sure, some of his tweets could be worded better,” said William Kelly, an 18-year-old student at the University of Cincinnati who voted for the first time last month.

“I think some of the stuff he says might be straightforward and off the cuff and sure, not what you want to hear, but it’s what we need to hear because it’s true.”

Kelly, wearing a Trump hat, cited the deal reached to keep 1,000 jobs at an air conditioner plant in Indiana from being shifted to Mexico as proof that the president-elect was a man of action.

At the official souvenir stand, red “Make America Great Again” hats were no longer available. They have been replaced with different red hats that say “USA” and “Trump 45” on the back — as he will be the 45th U.S. president. </s> CLOSE James Mattis is a retired four-star Marine general who played several leading roles in the military for over 40 years. USA TODAY NETWORK

Retired Marine general James Mattis (Photo: Alex Brandon, AP)

CLOSE President-elect Trump revealed the 'secret' that he appointed retired Gen. James Mattis as Defense secretary during his 'Thank You Tour' in Cincinnati. USA TODAY NETWORK

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has selected James Mattis, a legendary, tough-talking retired Marine Corps general who favors a robust military and criticized the Obama administration's approach to war, to lead the Defense Department.

Trump joked about the announcement at a rally Thursday night in Cincinnati.

"We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our Secretary of Defense," Trump said. "But we're not announcing it 'til Monday, so don't tell anybody."

Mattis retired in 2013 after leading the military’s Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East and Africa. He will require a waiver from Congress to become Defense secretary because the law prohibits veterans who have been retired for fewer than seven years from taking the job. That is expected to be a formality, given support for him from many in Congress, including Sen. John McCain, R.-Ariz., the influential chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

Mattis made headlines at a series of prominent commands with blunt talk that appealed to troops and left no doubt about his approach to war. After leading troops in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, he told an audience in San Diego in 2005 that he relished fighting.

"Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot," Mattis said. "It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with you. I like brawling. You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

Those remarks earned him a rebuke from his superiors but didn’t stop his ascent to the military’s most prestigious and taxing posts. Known as the “Warrior Monk,” Mattis also cultivates a bookish reputation.

Mattis is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and has continued to speak out about military policy in retirement. In 2014, he criticized the Obama administration’s plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2016, a stand that it has abandoned in favor of leaving about 10,000 troops there to train local forces and fight terrorists.

Deadlines for withdraw, Mattis said then, simply embolden American enemies.

“We want to crush the enemy’s hope to win through violence,” Mattis said. “Yet we have now given the enemy hope that if they hang on until our announced withdrawal date they can perhaps come back.”

Mattis’ views may mesh with Trump’s calls to beef up the military and more aggressively prosecute the war against Islamic State terrorists.

As Defense secretary, Mattis will inherit the ongoing air war in Iraq and Syria, as well as the thousands of U.S. troops on the ground there who training local forces and elite commandos who are targeting leaders of the terrorist organization, also known as ISIL. The war against Taliban insurgents and al Qaeda-linked terrorists in Afghanistan will grind on as well.

He’ll be responsible for more than 1 million active-duty troops and a budget of more than $600 billion annually.

Also on his plate: the increasingly aggressive Russian military, which has seized Crimea from Ukraine and regularly harasses U.S. ships and warplanes operating in international waters and airspace in Europe; and China’s mounting ambitions in the South China Sea where it has built artificial islands and fortified them with landing strips and troops.

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates was in New York Thursday, and met with Michael Flynn, Trump's choice to be national security adviser. Gates' top priority at the Pentagon, while the wars raged in Iraq and Afghanistan, was the fielding of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to protect troops from roadside bombs.

In 2005, Mattis was the top officer at the Marine Corps command that allowed a request to field the urgently needed combat trucks to languish. A 2008 Pentagon inspector general report singled out his Marine Corps Combat Development Command for failing to act on an urgent plea for MRAPs to replace vulnerable Humvees.

It wasn't until 2007, after Gates read about the trucks' superior protection in a story in USA TODAY, that he forced the Pentagon bureaucracy to buy them to replace Humvees. The Pentagon and Gates credit MRAPs with saving the lives of thousands of troops.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2grmKIY </s> Washington: President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate retired Gen. James Mattis to be his defence secretary, making the announcement during a post-election victory rally in Cincinnati.

Mattis, 66, is a Marine Corps general who retired in 2013 after serving as the commander of the U.S. Central Command.

His selection raises questions about increased military influence in a job designed to insure civilian control of the armed forces. The concerns revolve around whether a recently retired service member would rely more on military solutions to international problems, rather than a broader, more diplomatic approach.

For Mattis to be confirmed, Congress would first have to approve legislation bypassing a law that bars retired military officers from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty.

Mattis has a reputation as a battle-hardened, tough-talking Marine who was entrusted with some of the most challenging commands in the U.S. military. In a tweet Sunday, Trump referred to Mattis by his nickname "Mad Dog" and described him as "A true General's General!"

Mattis would be only the second retired general to serve as defense secretary, the first being George C. Marshall in 1950-51 during the Korean War. Marshall was a much different figure, having previously served as U.S. secretary of state and playing a key role in creating closer ties with western Europe after World War II.

The only previous time an exception was made to the law barring someone from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty was for Marshall.

Although his record in combat and his credentials as a senior commander are widely admired, Mattis has little experience in the diplomatic aspects of the job of a secretary of defense.

Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security, described Mattis as a defense intellectual and as a military leader who distinguished himself in combat.

"He knows the Middle East, South Asia, NATO and other areas and has evinced both a nuanced approach to the wars we're in and an appreciation for the importance of allies," Fontaine said in an email exchange. "If he were to get the nomination, I suspect that he could attract a number of very talented people to work with him."

But Mattis hasn't been immune to controversy. He was criticized for remarking in 2005 that he enjoyed shooting people. He also drew more recent scrutiny for his involvement with the embattled biotech company Theranos, where he serves on the board.

Born in Pullman, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, Mattis led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first U.S. war with Iraq in 1991.

As head of the Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013, he was in charge of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a U.S. foothold in the Taliban heartland.

As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared that, "The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan."

Two years later, he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division.

In 2005, he raised eyebrows when he told a San Diego forum that it was "fun to shoot some people."

According to a recording of Mattis' remarks, he said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling."

He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis continued. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

Mattis was counselled to choose his words more carefully.

A year later, Mattis came under scrutiny during one of the more high-profile criminal investigations of the Iraq war, the shooting deaths of 24 Iraqis by Marines.

The Iraqis, who included unarmed women and children, were killed by Marines in the town of Haditha after one of their comrades was killed by a roadside bomb. Eight Marines were charged in connection with the killings - four enlisted men were charged with unpremeditated murder and four officers who weren't there at the time were accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths.

As commander of the accused Marines' parent unit, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Mattis ultimately dismissed charges against most of the Marines.

As a top Marine general, Mattis pushed for the military to adopt blood-testing technology developed by Theranos.

As reported by The Washington Post , Mattis first met the Theranos founder, Elizabeth A. Holmes, in 2011. A year later, according to emails obtained by The Post, Holmes used her connection to Mattis to pressure him to intervene after a Pentagon official raised concerns that the company was distributing its technology without approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

The emails show within hours after Holmes asked Mattis for help, he forward her email to other military officials asking them "how do we overcome this new obstacle."

Mattis joined Theranos' board the same year he retired. The company, which raised hundreds of millions of dollars on the promise of breakthrough blood-testing technology, was forced to invalidate two years of patients' test results after the reliability of its proprietary blood testing machinery was questioned by internal and government whistleblowers and investigative reporting by The Wall Street Journal. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will retire at the end of February.

Trump says on Twitter that a new secretary of defense will be named soon.

Trump's announcement comes a day after he surprised U.S. allies and members of Congress by announcing the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. </s> CINCINNATI: US President-elect Donald Trump said he has picked the tough-talking retired general James Mattis to be his defense secretary as he soaked up adulation at a buoyant Ohio rally that recalled this year’s rough-and-tumble campaign.

The splash of hard news came during a sea of soaring — and then blunt — rhetoric from the 70-year-old Republican billionaire, who was speaking at his first post-election event following days of meetings about forming his cabinet.

“We are going to appoint ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as our secretary of defense,” Trump told cheering supporters in Cincinnati, referring by nickname to the four-star Marine general who headed the US Central Command, with authority over troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“He’s our best. They say he’s the closest thing to (World War II) general George Patton that we have,” Trump said, apparently divulging his pick days ahead of schedule as his transition team had already said there would be no more cabinet announcements this week.

Mattis will require both Senate confirmation and a special waiver of a law that bans uniformed military officers from serving as secretary of defense for seven years after leaving active duty.

At least one Democrat, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, already signaled she will oppose the waiver.

“Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy,” the senator tweeted from New York.

Trump’s surrounding himself with military figures — he has picked retired general Michael Flynn to be his national security advisor and is considering retired general David Petraeus for secretary of state — has unnerved some observers who point to America’s long tradition of civilian government.

At the start of his address, Trump launched lofty appeals to unite what he called a “very divided nation” and reject “bigotry and prejudice in all of its forms.”

Americans will “come together — we have no choice, we have to,” he added.

On the economy, “Americans will be the captains of their own destiny once again,” he promised.

He even vowed to try to work with Democrats to end gridlock in Congress.

But the Manhattan property mogul, who defeated Hillary Clinton last month to win the White House, dramatically returned to the abrasive tone that marked his controversial and ultimately victorious campaign.

He savaged the nation’s “extremely dishonest” press, slammed illegal immigration and the country’s refugee program, mocked his critics and vowed to “drain the swamp” in establishment-heavy Washington.

It became a loose, swerving speech that kicked off what his team has branded a “thank you tour” — a victory lap of sorts that will take him to several political battlegrounds including Ohio, perhaps the nation’s ultimate swing state.

“I love you Ohio!” the populist political novice said to a loud cheer from a crowd that filled roughly half the US Bank Arena, which has a capacity of around 17,000. Trump lamented the roadblocks surrounding the venue, which he said had depressed attendance.

The tone was decidedly more boastful than his afternoon appearance in neighboring Indiana, where he visited a company and claimed credit for saving American jobs.

The president-elect, who made guaranteeing jobs for blue-collar US workers a key campaign plank, strode triumphantly through an Indiana factory that makes Carrier air conditioners, trumpeting a deal to keep 1,100 manufacturing positions from moving to Mexico.

He then starkly warned other US firms that they will face “consequences” if they relocate abroad.

“The era of economic surrender is over,” Trump assured. “We’re going to fight for every last American job. It is time to remove the rust from the rust belt and usher in a new industrial revolution.”

During the race, the Republican billionaire threatened to slap tariffs on firms that decamped for places like Mexico or Asia, where labor and other costs are cheaper.

“Buy American and hire American,” he said in Ohio. “That will be our new mantra.”

Carrier has announced it will preserve more than 1,000 jobs and continue to manufacture gas furnaces in Indianapolis, thanks to $7 million in state incentives negotiated with the help of Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Indiana’s governor.

Several hundred jobs will still move to Mexico.

The deal is an unorthodox industry intervention, and Trump signaled he could carry it out again when in office.

“What happened today in Indiana, we’re going to do that all over the country,” he said in Cincinnati.

The White House avoided criticizing Trump’s effort, saying saving jobs is laudable, but expressed skepticism about the strategy of keeping jobs in America one company at a time.

“Mr Trump would have to make 804 more announcements just like that to equal the standard of jobs in the manufacturing sector that were created in this country under President Obama’s watch,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

Trump appeared in his element in Cincinnati, said Beth Desch, a recently unemployed 59-year-old at the rally.

“Very upbeat, very optimistic, very happy to be where he is,” she said.

Trump basked in the glow of a campaign-style event, looking back fondly at how he “trounced” his rivals in the most brutal campaign in modern times.

“We did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didn’t we?” Trump quipped as his supporters cheered. AFP </s> United States President Donald Trump's nominee for the secretary of the US Navy, Philip Bilden, has withdrawn his candidacy, the Pentagon on Sunday said. Bilden is the latest candidate in a series of nominees who have removed their names from consideration to be included in Trump's administration.

Robert Harward, Donald Trump's second pick for National Security Advisor, turns down job offer

"This was a personal decision driven by privacy concerns and significant challenges he faced in separating himself from his business interests," Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said. "While I am disappointed, I understand and respect his decision, and know that he will continue to support our nation in other ways," Mattis added saying that he would soon suggest a new nominee for the position.

Concerns over Bilden's ability to separate from his holdings, many of which are in Hong Kong, clouded his nomination, the Associated Press reported. Bilden is a prominent businessman and private equity investor.

Bilden was being considered for the position of secretary of the Navy who serves as the chief executive officer for both the Navy and the Marine Corps. The businessman declined the nomination soon after the US Army secretary nominee Vincent Viola took the same decision over concerns about his ability to separate from his business holdings. Trump's nominee for labour secretary Andrew Puzder also withdrew his candidacy after facing intense scrutiny for his business record and controversies over his personal life.

Trump's former National Security Adviser was removed from his position over his links with Russia. Michael Flynn had made a phone call in December 2016 to Russian Ambassador to the US, Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak, soon after the Obama administration imposed new sanctions on Russia for interfering with the US elections.

Trump's second pick for the position of his National Security Adviser, Admiral Robert Harward, has reportedly turned down the offer too citing personal reasons. The US president subsequently last week on Monday chose a prominent military strategist, Army Lt. Gen. H R McMaster, as the new National Security Adviser. </s> • Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis is stepping down, and his resignation letter released on Thursday offers some insight about what motivated his decision.
• "Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," he continued.

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis is leaving the White House and his resignation letter released to news organizations on Thursday give insight into why.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," Mattis, a retired four-star Marine Corps general wrote . "We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances."

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," he continued. The full letter can be read below:

According to the letter, Mattis will leave his post on February 28, 2019, "a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed," he wrote in his letter. Mattis served for 44 years in the US Marine Corps, and in his letter he expressed his appreciation for "this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform."

Read more: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quits, says his views aren't 'aligned' with Trump as president upends major US policies

On Thursday, President Donald Trump tweeted that Mattis was "retiring, with distinction, at the end of February."

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jims tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment," Trump said in a tweet. "General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!"

The announcement about Mattis leaving his post comes one day after Trump announced a withdrawal of troops from Syria on Wednesday, a decision that allegedly surprised the Pentagon and drew ire from Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill .

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• Trump just radically upended US Syria policy despite repeated warnings that doing so could be disastrous
• Trump outright ignored Pentagon, State Department Syria policy in a big win for Putin
• Trump declares victory over ISIS as the US prepares to pull all troops out of Syria

SEE ALSO: 17 of the most legendary quotes from James Mattis, the four-star Marine general who just resigned as Trump's Defense Secretary </s> President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of the Army, billionaire Wall Street trader Vincent Viola, announced Friday that he is withdrawing his name from consideration for the position, citing business ties.

The Department of Defense said Defense Secretary Jim Mattis "will recommend to the president another candidate soon."

"Mr. Viola has informed President Trump that he will be unable to accept his nomination to serve as Secretary of the Army as the challenges of separating Mr. Viola from the organizations that he has built over the last thirty-five years have proven insurmountable," a spokesman for Viola told ABC News.

Viola, a West Point graduate and U.S. Army veteran, is the founder of Virtu Financial and former chair of the New York Mercantile Exchange. He also owns the Florida Panthers hockey team, as well as a majority stake in Eastern Air Lines.

"I am deeply honored to have been considered for this post, and appreciate the confidence President Trump showed in me," Viola said in a statement. "I offer my continued support for President Trump and his administration, and look forward to re-doubling my efforts to support the Army and its veterans as a private citizen."

A Department of Defense spokesman said in a statement that Defense Secretary Mattis, who is currently in Japan, "is disappointed but understands and respects Mr. Viola's decision. The Secretary is confident that Mr. Viola will remain a stalwart supporter of America's soldiers."

When Trump announced in December his plans to nominate Viola, he said at the time, "I am proud to have such an incredibly accomplished and selfless individual as Vincent Viola as our Secretary of the Army. Whether it is his distinguished military service or highly impressive track record in the world of business, Vinnie has proved throughout his life that he knows how to be a leader and deliver major results in the face of any challenge."

ABC News' Alexander Mallin and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
President-elect Donald Trump names retired United States Marine Corps general James Mattis as United States Secretary of Defense.