President Donald Trump's choice to be his top military adviser and the nation's top general vowed Tuesday to serve in the role apolitically, denying a tale Trump has told repeatedly that suggested he is a loyal political supporter of the president.
At his confirmation hearing to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine denied that he has ever worn a "Make America Great Again" hat, despite the president repeatedly claiming he did so when they met during Trump's first term.
"For 34 years, I've upheld my oath of office and my commitment to my commission, and I have never worn any political merchandise," Caine told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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"I went back and listened to those tapes, and I think the president was actually talking about someone else," Caine added later when pressed whether any part of Trump's story was true.
Caine was nominated by Trump to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs after the president fired the previous chairman, Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, about a year and a half into a four-year term.
Trump did not give a reason for firing Brown, but the general, who is Black, was hated by conservatives for speaking positively about diversity in the military. Prior to becoming Pentagon chief, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was among those who called for Brown's firing over diversity issues.
Trump also repeatedly clashed with one of the chairmen from his first term, Gen. Mark Milley, whom Trump soured on after Milley apologized for appearing with him in uniform for a photo op after law enforcement forcibly cleared the area around the White House of racial justice protesters in June 2020. More recently, Milley has called Trump a fascist, and Trump has suggested Milley should be executed for being a traitor.
By contrast, Trump has painted Caine as a loyalist who gushed over him when they first met in Iraq in 2018.
Trump has added details over the years, but in general, Trump claims that Caine, while serving as deputy commander of a special operations task force fighting the Islamic State, gave him a plan to defeat the terrorist group quickly as other officers offered cautious advice.
In recounting the story during a speech last year, Trump also claimed the Caine lavished praise on him during that encounter.
"'Yes, sir. I love you, sir. I think you're great, sir. I'll kill for you, sir,'" Trump said Caine told him. "Then he puts on a Make America Great Again hat. You're not allowed to do that, but they did it."
In light of that story, the unusual circumstances of his nomination and Trump's history of lashing out against military officers who disagree with him, Caine was pressed repeatedly on Tuesday about whether he would remain apolitical as chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
In response to those questions, Caine vowed to provide his best military advice even if it contradicts Trump's viewpoint.
"Candor has gotten me here today, and candor will continue to allow me to do my job," Caine said.
He also assured senators he is willing to be fired rather than violate the Constitution.
Caine served in the Air National Guard and retired from service last year. Caine, who was commissioned through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at the Virginia Military Institute, or VMI, started as an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot and held numerous Guard assignments throughout his three-decade career, according to a copy of his service biography. His last assignment before retiring was as the associate director for military affairs at the CIA.
In addition to needing to be brought back onto active duty in order to be chairman, Caine does not meet the statutory requirements for the job.
By law, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must have previously served as vice chairman, chief of staff of one of the military branches, or commander of a combatant command -- none of which Caine ever did. But the law also allows the president to waive those requirements if he decides doing so "is necessary in the national interest."
Despite Caine lacking the key requirements enshrined in law, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., pushed back on the idea that Caine is unqualified.
"The driving force behind Goldwater-Nichols was to inspire and in some cases require jointness," Wicker said, referencing the law that established the qualifications for chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Caine "began his career as an Air Force fighter pilot in 1992. By the time he was done, Gen. Caine had operated in every domain and he had developed relationships with every service."
For his part, Caine acknowledged that he is an "unconventional" nominee, but added that "these are also unconventional times."
Democrats bristled Tuesday at Brown's firing. But they also suggested they do not blame Caine for the circumstances of his nomination, indicating he will likely receive bipartisan support to be confirmed as Joint Chiefs chairman.
"I share comments that some of my colleagues have made about the unfortunate circumstances with Gen. Brown, but you didn't have anything to do with that," Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told the nominee. "And I know, from our conversations and my own due diligence, VMI's very proud of you, and folks who've worked with you in the past who I hold in high regard are very proud of you. And a lot of the questions that have been asked trying to really drill into your ability to give the best candid advice, I think your career has demonstrated to my satisfaction that you will do so."
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