Mattis Was Asked If He’s A Democrat And Issues The Most Amazing Response

It all started after President Trump told Lesley Stahl that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was probably “some sort of Democrat.”

Stahl straight up asked him if Mattis was on his way out, and Trump responded.

“Well, I don’t know. He hasn’t told me that. I have…a very good relationship with him. It could be that he is. I think he’s sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “But General Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody. People leave. That’s Washington.”

Naturally, that left everyone wondering. Is Mattis a Democrat?

I loved the way he answered the question.

Q: Are you a Democrat?

SEC. MATTIS: You know, we're all built on our formative experiences.

When I was 18, I joined the Marine Corps, and in the U.S. military we are proudly apolitical….

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 16, 2018

2/ …By that, I mean that in our duties, we were brought up to obey the elected commander in chief, whoever that is. And we've seen, over those — since I was in the military longer than some of you have been alive, I have seen Republicans and Democrats come and go….

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 16, 2018

3/… Where am I today? I'm a member of the president's administration. And you have seen that President Trump's military policies, security policies, reaping significant bipartisan support….

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 16, 2018

4/… So my role…and I realize you all write about tension between this person and that, this administration and that party, and this sort of thing. But when you think 83 percent of the U.S. Congress voting the same way on an issue put forward by the Republican president…

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 16, 2018

5/ … you can see that my portfolio is bipartisan by its very basis, and that is the protection of the United States. That's what President Trump has told me to do, and I eagerly carry that out, alongside probably the most selfless young men and women…

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 16, 2018

6/ … — not all young; some old men and women, too — civilian and military, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines working together.
So that's where I stand. That defines me.

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 16, 2018

7/ Q: I don't want to put too fine a point on it, but you haven't registered Republican or Democrat. Is that what I'm hearing you say?

SEC. MATTIS: I've never registered for any political party.
###

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 16, 2018

Mattis: “I'm on his team. We have never talked about me leaving.” Talking aboard an Air Force plane on his way to Vietnam he said, “and as you can see right here, we're on our way. We just continue doing our job.”

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 16, 2018

Here’s the full exchange in non-tweet form:

Reporter: Yeah. Mr. Secretary, are you a Democrat?

Secretary of Defense James Mattis: Pardon?

Reporter: Are you a Democrat?

Mattis: You know, we’re all built on our formative experiences.

When I was 18, I joined the Marine Corps, and in the U.S. military we are proudly apolitical. By that, I mean that in our duties, we were brought up to obey the elected commander in chief, whoever that is. And we’ve seen, over those — since I was in the military longer than some of you have been alive, I have seen Republicans and Democrats come and go.

Where am I today? I’m a member of the president’s administration. And you have seen that President Trump’s military policies, security policies, reaping significant bipartisan support. So my role, when you see 83 percent — think about this — for — and I realize you all write about tension between this person and that, this administration and that party, and this sort of thing.

But when you think 83 percent of the U.S. Congress voting the same way on an issue put forward by the Republican president, you can see that my portfolio is bipartisan by its very basis, and that is the protection of the United States.

That’s what President Trump has told me to do, and I eagerly carry that out, alongside probably the most selfless young men and women — not all young; some old men and women, too — civilian and military, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines working together.

So that’s where I stand. That defines me.

Reporter: I don’t want to put too fine a point on it, but you haven’t registered Republican or Democrat. Is that what I’m hearing you say?

Mattis: I’ve never registered for any political party.

Now THAT’S an answer.