Transcript: H.R. McMaster on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Nov. 24, 2024
The following is a transcript of an interview with Ret. Gen. H.R. McMaster, national security adviser in the first Trump administration, on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that aired on Nov. 24, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to retired Army Lieutenant General H. R. McMaster, who served as national security adviser in the first Trump administration. His latest book is "At War With Ourselves," which chronicles his time at the White House. Good morning and welcome back.
LT. GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: Good morning Margaret, happy Thanksgiving.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Happy early Thanksgiving to you. I want to ask you about the geopolitical threat picture right now that the next commander in chief will be walking into the Oval Office and facing. In these final weeks, the Biden administration, Ukraine has started using U.S. made ATACMS, a type of longer range missile to strike within Russian territory. President Biden also approved anti personnel landmines. The aim is to get them on stronger footing before Trump takes office. Can these weapons quickly make a difference?
LT. GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: They can make a difference, Margaret. Really, it made no sense to not allow the Ukrainians to fire those missiles at the bases that Russia was using to continue their onslaught against the Ukrainian people and Ukrainian infrastructure. And so it's another one of these examples how the Biden administration has taken this halting approach to providing weapons and then permissions to use weapons. And so I think it's- it's important, because both sides right now are incentivized to make as many gains on the battlefield as they can before the new Trump administration comes in, and you see Russia throwing troops into- into- into Ukrainian defenses. I mean, they're taking, you know, they're taking tens of 1000s of casualties a month. I think it's really an unsustainable rate. And what the Ukrainians are doing now is trying to protect themselves from the onslaught, inflict as many casualties as they can. And they're trading some- some space for time and the opportunity to cause more attrition on Russian forces. So the next couple of months, I think, are really critical in terms of how, what is- what is the next phase in the war in Ukraine.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you know, President Zelenskyy said just yesterday that he's sure Vladimir Putin is trying to, "push us out by Jan. 20," and try to demonstrate that he has the upper hand. He's not saying that, you know, just as an observation, he is looking at the national security adviser, Mike Waltz. He's looking at the possible next Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who has voted against Ukraine aid, the Vice President Elect is against helping Ukraine. Can Ukraine get the upper hand here, and are these top advisers going to be persuadable?
LT. GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: Well, this is a real problem, Margaret. You know, I think what- what you're seeing is, this delivers a psychological blow to the Ukrainians. Ukrainians are struggling to generate the manpower that they need and to sustain their defensive efforts. And that's- it's important that they get the weapons they need and the training that they need, but also they have to have the confidence that they can prevail. And any sort of messages that we might reduce our aid are quite damaging to them from a moral perspective. I think, and what I hope, is that those who President Trump has nominated, and President Trump himself, will begin to see the quite obvious connections between the war in Ukraine and this axis of aggressors that are doing everything they can to tear down the existing international order. I mean, heck, Margaret, I mean, North Korean soldiers are fighting on European soil in the first major war in Europe since World War II. Look at what China is doing to sustain Russia's war making- making machine, with the cash Vladimir Putin needs, but also with the equipment and the hardware necessary to build these missiles that are continuing this onslaught. Iran- Iran is providing the Shahed drones and missiles. North Korea is also providing, you know, 8 million rounds of artillery. So I think what's happened is so many people have taken such a myopic view of Ukraine, and they've misunderstood Putin's intentions and how consequential the war is to our interests across the world.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, one of the things, and you are a historian, you've written quite a lot and looked at presidential decision making. One of the things you've written in "At War With Ourselves," was, it is important, based on your study of the Vietnam War, to "ensure that the president gets the best analysis and multiple options so he can make informed decisions." Do you think so far, that Mr. Trump's choices for Director of National Intelligence, for Defense Secretary, are these individuals who will provide the President with the best analysis and what he needs to hear, not just what he wants to hear?
LT. GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: Well, this is what the Senate has to- has to really exercise their advice and consent role. And I think it's worth going back to Federalist 76, where John Adams said, really, this- this advice and consent is so important to make sure the best people are in those positions. President Trump, as I wrote in the book, he does learn, he does listen to advice. He does evolve his understanding. So who will those people be? I think, for the new Secretary of Defense, the nominated Director of National Intelligence, they- they ought to be asked, or- what do you think motivates or drives and constrains Vladimir Putin? There's a fundamental misunderstanding based on- on the nominee for- for the- for- for DNI about what motivates him. It's not his security concerns. His security concerns don't need to be allayed. That's the mistake the Biden administration made, and I think, as a result, almost green lighted the invasion, the reinvasion of Ukraine in February of 2022. What are the consequences if Ukraine fails and Russia succeeds, globally? I think, Margaret, they have got to be asked about, you know, really, how do they reconcile, or help President Trump reconcile, peace through strength? And what you see in some elements of the Republican Party, which replicate the far left, oftentimes, toward retrenchment and disengagement and then even blaming ourselves for the acts of our adversaries, as- as- as Tulsi Gabbard has done, you know, talking about how- how Putin really felt aggrieved, and that's why he had to invade Ukraine.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right, that's- that's a Russian talking point that she's repeated, and in direct contravention to what U.S. intelligence has concluded. I also want to ask about someone you--
LT. GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: This is what- this is what I can't understand, Margaret. There's so- there's some people in the Republican Party these days which kind of tend to parrot Vladimir Putin's talking points. I don't know if it's because they're drawn to him and they see him as a kind of a defender of Western civilization, just the shirtless guy on horseback, but they've got to disabuse themselves of this, you know, strange affection for Vladimir Putin. You know, who- who is- who is not going to stop in his effort to restore Russia to national greatness at our expense. That's what he's obsessed with. He's obsessed with kind of reestablishing the Russian Empire. And so he has aspirations that go far beyond anything that's in reaction to what we do. And the only thing that stops it, really, is strength, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And you wrote in your book that you didn't understand Donald Trump's fascination with Vladimir Putin. Quickly, Seb Gorka is going to be the Senior Director for Counterterrorism, Deputy Assistant to the President. Is he a good person to advise on national security?
LT. GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: No, no, he's not, Margaret. But, you know, I think that- that the President, others who are working with him, will probably determine that pretty quickly, soon after he gets into that job.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All right. Time stamp on that prediction. H.R. McMaster, a lot to talk to you about. We're going to have to leave it there for today. We'll be back in a moment.
