The following is a transcript of an interview with retired Army General Stanley McChrystal on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” broadcast September 29, 2024.
ROBERT COSTA: We’re back with retired Army General Stanley McChrystal. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris last week and appears today Face The Nation as a surrogate for Harris’ campaign. Good morning, General. We appreciate your time. General McChrystal, you just heard from Senator Tom Cotton here on Face The Nation. He said that when it comes to dealing with Israel in its fight against Hezbollah, the United States must not de-escalate. Must bring Hezbollah to the mat. Do you believe this is the right course for the United States in the days and weeks ahead?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: Well, I spent a lot of time on counterterrorism, we killed a lot of people, and what I learned was that unless you have a result, a political result that is sustainable, all that kind of activity doesn’t last. So I would urge both sides, Israel and Hezbollah, to look at the distant ridge. I know that’s hard, because once you spill so much blood, the emotion runs deep. You kill people’s parents and children and brothers and sisters on both sides. And so I think where we are now is just going to spiral. The violence is unlikely to produce a good outcome. And yet I can sympathize with both sides, the deep-seated desire to go after the other.
ROBERT COSTA: What is your assessment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, how he is handling this moment and his strategy?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: Well, I think he has a strategy to push Iran into a corner, and he may do that, but the long-term outcome in Palestine is going to be broadly from a statesmanlike perspective. And so if he’s just looking at it from a war perspective, I think at some point he’s either going to have to widen that opening or he’s going to have to take a longer view of it.
ROBERT COSTA: You believe that the Israelis and Prime Minister Netanyahu are pushing Iran into a corner, as you put it, does that mean that there may be a war with Iran, between Israel and Iran, on the horizon, and what does that mean for the United States as TRUE?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: I think there’s something on the horizon, but I don’t know.
ROBERT COSTA: But what are you looking at now to see if this action of Hezbollah killing Nasrallah escalates into something much broader in the region. What are you looking at? What are the most important points?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: Well, I think the biggest thing is, the harder you go for the fight, the harder you go for the juggler, the more scar tissue you create that will last for generations, and that’s a factor.
ROBERT COSTA: You endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris this week. You endorsed President Biden in 2020 in your op-ed in the New York Times, you talk about character. What is it about her character toward former President Trump that convinced you to take this public stand and support her?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: I think character is what a person does when he or she is under pressure. It’s a combination of their deeply held beliefs, the things that are their core values, and the discipline they have to carry them out to make them come true. So I think when we look at Kamala Harris, we look at her history, she emerged as a prosecutor, as attorney general, in the Senate. She’s been through some experiences that I think have given someone the character that’s going to be needed in the presidency. But let’s be sure we don’t choose a president based on policy. We shouldn’t do that. We have to choose them for the character because we don’t know what’s going to happen. We didn’t know that Congressman Abraham Lincoln could lead the United States through the Civil War in one term. We never knew that clothing salesman Harry Truman could make the decision to drop the atomic bomb or deal with the crisis in Korea. Those things come into a presidency in a way that tests the metal and the character of the person in that office.
ROBERT COSTA: The presidency is certainly being tested, and it can forge leadership over time. But now, in the run-up to a possible presidency, what convinces you that she is ready, especially in the areas of national security and foreign policy that you know well?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: What do we know about someone before this job? When young President Kennedy was a young senator, he did quite well. He first struggled through the Bay of Pigs and then did quite well during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Donald Trump had no background in it. What we have seen from Kamala Harris convinces me that she has the strength and values ​​to deal with the uncertain crises that are inevitable.
ROBERT COSTA: What is your view on the way she and President Biden have handled the withdrawal from Afghanistan?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: Afghanistan is difficult. There had been twenty years of American involvement in Afghanistan, and many of the stones had been set in place. In the direction that went. There was a decision made in the previous administration with the courts in Doha that the Biden administration had to decide on. I didn’t like the outcome in Afghanistan. I’ve put a lot of my life into that. And I don’t think the young Americans who gave so much of themselves did it for nothing. I think they did it in a worthy effort to make Afghanistan a better place. But things don’t always turn out the way we hope.
ROBERT COSTA: You wrote in your op-ed that it’s mainly about character, but in your piece you connected character to policy, especially about America’s role in the world. Do you believe that Vice President Harris is in some sense a continuation of President Biden’s foreign policy and embrace of Western institutions such as NATO and traditional American alliances? Is that one of the driving factors behind your support, more than just her personal character?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: I think the character of Vice President Harris will drive policies that are based on values, but based on common sense values. She’s a practical person, and I think that will come through.
ROBERT COSTA: But there’s a real debate going on in this country about America’s role in the world. Trump, the former president, consistently talks about America first and has skepticism about the way NATO functions in some respects. Do you worry that if Trump wins another term of presidency, America’s role in the world will change in a fundamental way?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: I think America’s role in the world is critical. Take, for example, the war in Ukraine. You can argue that Ukraine is not a strategic national interest for the United States. I cannot accept any argument that Europe is not. And yet, if Ukraine falls prey to Russian aggression, even a significant part of it, the Baltic states and our NATO alliance will be increasingly threatened and, I would say, weakened, and I think that at is contrary to our interests in the longer term. .
ROBERT COSTA: Is it credible that he could, as Trump says, make a deal to end the war in Ukraine?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: I would doubt that. But if he said, If he has a deal…
ROBERT COSTA: He doesn’t talk about details, as we just discussed with Senator Cotton, but he claims he can do it, that he can make a deal. Do you think Vice President Harris could end the war between Russia and Ukraine?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: I think it will be difficult to end this war. Personally, I think we should support Ukraine as strongly as possible so that their sovereignty is protected when we get out.
ROBERT COSTA: So many former military officials, top leaders who served men and women in uniform, have spoken out against former President Donald Trump. There are of course those, like former retired General Keith Kellogg, who support former President Trump, but prominent people like you have voiced their concerns. I think of General Milley. I think of… General Milley was concerned in the final days of Trump’s presidency about the way he was handling his job. And you have concerns. You supported Vice President Harris. This boils down to one key question: General McChrystal, do you believe former President Donald Trump is fit for office?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: I believe Vice President Harris is qualified to lead the country as president–
[CROSSTALK]
ROBERT COSTA: Let’s go straight to Trump’s question: Is he fit for office or not? You are a former top leader of the US military. You support a presidential candidate. You have a former president who is now running for president again. You seem to have a core character. Questions: Is he fit for office or not?
GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL: Okay, Bob, let’s be honest. Why would a retired military officer come and support his opponent? Just tell me, because I think character is very important, and that’s why I’m voting for character. I’m voting for Kamala Harris.
ROBERT COSTA: General Stanley McChrystal. We appreciate you stopping by Face the Nation and sharing your thoughts. Thank you very much, and we will be back with much more. Confront the nation. Stay with us.
