{"id":29684,"date":"2018-10-16T00:52:44","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T00:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/10\/16\/mr-secretary-are-you-a-democrat\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:54:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:54:49","slug":"mr-secretary-are-you-a-democrat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/leadership\/2018\/10\/16\/mr-secretary-are-you-a-democrat\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Mr. Secretary, are you a Democrat?\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For the first time since he was appointed by President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was asked by reporters directly: \u201cAre you a Democrat?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not a question that crossed the minds of most reporters during Mattis\u2019 early tenure. The former top Middle East general could be bellicose in the field; Trump had clear affection for that \u201cMad Dog\u201d image in his rallies. Trump said Mattis was \u201ca true generals\u2019 general.\u201d However, Mattis had never identified himself as a Republican, nor as a Democrat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in the past few weeks, the former four-star commander who saw his tenure as the head of U.S. Central Command cut short during Democrat President Barack Obama\u2019s presidency over disagreements on his Iran policy was now facing regular questions <\/a>over whether his time in Trump\u2019s Republican cabinet would be similarly short-lived, particularly after Trump told \u201c60 Minutes\u201d on Sunday he thought his defense secretary may be \u201csort of a Democrat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t