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What's military-industrial complex? Trump backers slam Scarborough remark, say POTUS echoed Eisenhower speech

Scarborough hit back at his critics by tweeting, 'Dear Republicans, I’d back away from Trump’s attacks on American heroes in uniform who have dedicated their lives to defending the United States'

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough faced the wrath of Trump supporters when he suggested that President Donald Trump hold "a deeply ignorant and insulting view of American military leadership" as he made some disparaging comments during a recent press conference, adding that former President Dwight Eisenhower hated war.

"This is such a deeply ignorant and insulting view of American military leadership. From Dwight Eisenhower to Colin Powell, it has been our military leaders familiar with the hell of war who have hated it the most," Scarborough's tweet read, which was undoubtedly brought forward by Trump's remark on the military during the press conference where he said, "I'm not saying the military's in love with me. The soldiers are, the top people in the Pentagon probably aren't, because they want to do nothing but fight wars so all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs & make the planes & make everything else stay happy."

Trump's comments came in response to a story in The Atlantic that cited anonymous White House sources as saying that he called American soldiers killed in war “suckers” and “losers”. Needless to say, a number of Trump supporters did not agree with Scarborough, even going as far as suggesting that although Trump did not say the phrase out loud, his words did reflect the warning of a "military-industrial complex" which was originally coined by Eisenhower in his farewell speech. In his 1961 farewell address, Eisenhower famously warned the public of the nation’s increasingly powerful military-industrial complex, which is a nation’s military establishment, as well as the industries involved in the production of armaments and other military materials, and the threat it posed to American democracy. Presently, the US routinely outspends every other country for military and defense expenditures. 

One of the staunch Trump supporters who spoke out against Scarborough and started a Twitter feud with him was the senior editor of a right-wing news outlet, The Federalist, and Fox News contributor, Mollie Hemingway, who wrote in reply to his tweet, "Oh dear. MSNBC host apparently completely unfamiliar with Dwight Eisenhower's famous 'military industrial complex' speech. Or worse, he doesn't understand it. Also, maybe Colin Powell ("Curveball," anyone?) not the best example to use here."

Taking a dig at her tweet, Scarborough replied, "Oh dear. Trump apologist chooses to join in Trump’s attack of American men and women who have given their lives to defending our country. What a cold winter it will be for those who betray our heroes in uniform for a failed reality TV host."

Here are a few other reactions:

"This no new wars thing under Trump should be a cause for rejoicing. Instead there is incitement to race war or civil war by the resistance who demand 'Trump out now!' 2 months before the election while they riot and burn. Calling out the MIC is courageous. God bless our President"

"Holy s**t you don't even know who coined the term 'military-industrial complex' in a famous speech, do you?"

"Dwight D. Eisenhower's Presidential farewell address, in which he coined the famous phrase 'military-industrial complex' in warning of the 'economic, political, even spiritual' consequences of the 'total influence' of America's rapidly growing military establishment and arms ind."

"Joe--it was Eisenhower who used the term 'military-industrial complex"."

"Hahahhaha. Eisenhower warned of precisely this problem. Hes the one who coined the term military-industrial complex."

"If anything, Trump is friendly with what Eisenhower warned us of concerning the 'military industrial complex' in his farewell speech. Trying to blame his policies on Pentagon officials per se is wrong."

Scarborough hit back at all his conservative critics with a tweet saying, "Dear Republicans, I’d back away from Trump’s attacks on American heroes in uniform who have dedicated their lives to defending the United States. One of the great honors of being in Congress was getting to work with military leaders. They were honorable and sacrificing Americans"