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The pursuing is the transcript of an interrogation with H.R. McMaster, archetypal Trump word nationalist information advisor and CBS News contributor, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected May 4, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We crook present to retired Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster. He served arsenic National Security Advisor during President Trump's archetypal term, and helium is the writer of "At War With Ourselves: My Tour of Duty successful the Trump White House." Good to person you backmost with us.
RETIRED LIEUTENANT GENERAL H.R. MCMASTER: Hey, large to beryllium with you, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you've been here. Mike Waltz is nary longer the nationalist information adviser. CBS reported his deputy, Alex Wong, volition besides depart his role. But then, arsenic of Friday morning, we recovered Wong was inactive connected the job. It is not wide what the National Security Council constitution volition beryllium oregon however agelong the Secretary of State volition beryllium astatine the caput of it advising the president. What value does this person for America's nationalist security?
MCMASTER: I deliberation it's significant, Margaret, due to the fact that I deliberation what it reveals is, is simply a combat that's going connected wrong the medication associated with our relation successful the satellite and however definite radical successful the medication comprehend America's relation successful the world. And I deliberation Mike Waltz was an America archetypal guy, but helium was an internationalist and prioritized, I think, our alliances. He knew that, I think, that- rather correctly that Putin won't halt until helium is stopped. And truthful helium was an advocator for a beardown attack to Putin. And I deliberation determination are those successful the medication who person a overmuch antithetic worldview, you know, who are successful favour of U.S. retrenchment oregon disengagement from analyzable challenges abroad, privation to prioritize, benignant of, the Western Hemisphere, North American defense. And you spot that successful your treatment with Congressman Turner arsenic well, associated with the defence fund and what's being prioritized successful the defence fund arsenic well.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you spot this arsenic a argumentation argument, not conscionable a Signal messaging mistake, that Mike Waltz created that transmission wherever helium accidentally included a reporter.
MCMASTER: It is. I deliberation it's a argumentation issue, a worldview issue, but it's besides an knowing of the relation of the National Security Council unit and the National Security unit that Mike Waltz was moving and Alex Wong is inactive running. And that's truly the unit that allows the president to thrust his agenda, that gets champion analysis, champion proposal to the president, and gets him aggregate options. It seems beauteous wide that President Trump is not precise diligent successful presumption of a deliberative process these days. And this is wherefore I deliberation helium whitethorn spot the National Security Council unit arsenic an impediment alternatively of, really, the champion conveyance to thrust his docket and to integrate each elements of nationalist powerfulness and efforts of like-minded partners to beforehand American interests.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I thought it was an absorbing constituent Congressman Turner made erstwhile helium brought up the circumstantial constituent of notation the president has for the National Security Council during his archetypal term, which is, Turner argued, seeing them arsenic the crushed helium was impeached, during his archetypal impeachment related to Ukraine. Do you deliberation that is thing that makes him distrust the council? Why is it that helium would instrumentality the proposal of idiosyncratic similar Laura Loomer, this acold close activistic who has made racist attacks connected immoderate of the members of that council?
MCMASTER: You know, Margaret, I deliberation determination are 3 types of radical successful immoderate administration. Those who are determination to springiness the president champion advice, those who are determination not for that, but privation to manipulate decisions accordant with their ain agenda. These are radical wrong and extracurricular of the administration. And there's a 3rd radical of radical who sometimes instrumentality connected the relation of, maybe, redeeming the state and the satellite from the president. That 2nd and 3rd group, if you person an effectual nationalist information decision-making process that gives the president aggregate options, they thin to reason that process. They thin to reason the nationalist information advisor. And I deliberation what you're seeing is however casual it is for definite radical to get successful the president's receptor to sow distrust, to thrust a wedge betwixt him and the nationalist information advisor successful this lawsuit oregon the nationalist information unit and those who are determination to get him aggregate options.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You referenced the antithetic worldviews of immoderate of the radical advising the president close now, peculiarly regarding our allies. In Europe, we saw an absorbing determination this week successful Germany. Their home quality bureau concluded an probe into a far-right governmental enactment known arsenic AfD. They declared it to beryllium an extremist radical due to the fact that of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim positions. Their leaders person trivialized the Holocaust. They've called for deporting non-white citizens due to the fact that that violates the German Constitution. This would dependable similar a home issue. However, the vice president and the caput of authorities person taken precise nationalist statements present wading into this. Rubio calling it "tyranny successful disguise." Vice President Vance besides weighing successful here. Do you deliberation that's advisable erstwhile that party's leaders person specified a troubled history? Can you explicate it?
MCMASTER: You know, part- portion of this, Margaret, is what you covered earlier successful the amusement astir this benignant of Women, Peace and Security inaugural arsenic good as, I would say, immoderate of the extremist DEI agendas of the Biden and possibly the Obama medication earlier that. This is similar an adjacent and other absorption and it's international. And this is 1 of the reasons wherefore determination are immoderate radical successful the United States who benignant of respect Putin arsenic the savior of Western civilization oregon Christianity and truthful forth, which is evidently benignant of a perverse presumption of him arsenic well. But I deliberation what's related to this is this benignant of, this accent on, you know, retrenchment, conscionable instrumentality attraction of ourselves, disengage from the world. And I deliberation that these are related. What's, I think, absorbing astir this, though, is that the Trump administration, I think, risks replicating the flaws of the Obama administration's policy. Because what you spot is present immoderate radical successful the Republican Party seeing the root of each ills successful the satellite arsenic similar the neocons and they hint that backmost successful peculiar to the penetration of Iraq successful 2003. So that blaming ourselves, different Americans for the ills of the satellite and the associated impulse toward disengagement risks recreating, I think, immoderate of the cardinal flaws in, benignant of, the Obama medication attack to the world.
MARGARET BRENNAN: H.R. McMaster, convey you for sharing your insight. We'll permission it there, and we'll beryllium backmost successful a moment.
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