A decorated Marine Corps officer has walked away after nearly a quarter century in uniform, delivering a scathing parting shot at President Donald Trump. In a Washington Post op-ed, retired Col. Doug Krugman revealed that he resigned his commission because he could no longer justify serving under a commander-in-chief who, he says, has “little connection to reality.”
Krugman wrote that after 24 years and two wars, he could not continue serving under a president who seemed increasingly willing to use the military for political purposes. Citing Trump’s “misuse of National Guard units” and “alarming comments about the enemy from within,” the Marine veteran said he was unwilling to take orders that might force him to turn against fellow Americans.
“I continued to serve despite all that because I believed the Constitution brought the country more success than failure, and I believed our presidents took their oaths to it seriously,” Krugman wrote. “With President Trump, I no longer believe that.”
Krugman said he had hoped Trump would learn from the chaos of the January 6 attack on the Capitol but that his hopes were misplaced. “I could not swear without reservation to follow a commander-in-chief who seemed so willing to disregard the Constitution,” he added.
The veteran said his decision was made even before Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s now infamous gathering of generals and admirals at Quantico, Virginia. That meeting drew heavy criticism for blurring the line between military readiness and political theater. Hegseth later issued a directive ordering all Department of Defense personnel to watch his fiery “warrior ethos” speech, a move that many inside the Pentagon described as propaganda.
Krugman accused Trump of inflating threats and manufacturing crises for political gain. “President Trump’s description of Portland as a ‘war zone’ is as fantastical as his belief that the June protests in a few blocks of Los Angeles would somehow ‘obliterate’ the massive city of nearly 4 million,” he wrote. “In both cases, his words had little connection to reality.”
He warned that Trump’s exaggerated claims about domestic unrest were undermining the military’s cohesion. “Every dubious basis he gives for an order creates more room for doubt, more room for reservations, and more threats to our unity,” Krugman said.
The Marine’s resignation comes amid rising concerns about the politicization of the armed forces under Trump’s leadership. His administration has faced criticism for using active-duty troops in civilian protests, reshaping the Pentagon’s leadership around loyalists, and embracing divisive rhetoric that senior officers say erodes discipline and morale.
Krugman ended his essay with an appeal to those still serving, urging them to think carefully about the orders they receive. “I do not claim to speak for any other person or institution,” he wrote. “I respect those who still serve, many of whom have service contracts and can’t simply retire like I did. But if they have doubts about their orders, they are not alone. They should be confident in questioning possibly immoral or illegal orders, remembering they are responsible for their own actions.”
The message landed like a shot across the bow, a reminder that loyalty in uniform runs to the Constitution, not the commander-in-chief. For Krugman, that principle was worth more than another promotion or another year of service.
