commentary

Stars and Stripes is the latest casualty in the Trump administration's Pentagon purge

Published May 3, 2026 6:30AM (EDT)

Marines in Iraq receive copies of Stars and Stripes in 2003 (DAVID K. DISMUKES/US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images)

Donald Trump is escalating his MAGA takeover of the United States military. One of the great strengths of American democracy is that the country’s military is nonpartisan , a trait that ensures officers and service members alike obey the Constitution and serve civilian authority. The president rejects this foundational principle.…