For the second time, the killing of George Floyd by a police officer has brought about a breakage between President Trump and the American military’s most senior leader.
In abruptly firing Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Friday night purge at the Pentagon, Mr. Trump did not publicly give a reason. In fact, the four-star fighter pilot with 40 years of service was at the border tending to one of the president’s highest priorities when he was dismissed.
But privately, Trump advisers point to a video that General Brown recorded in the furious days after George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020, an act that sparked a social justice movement. In the four-minute video, General Brown reflected on his experiences as an African American pilot in the Air Force.
The killing of Mr. Floyd also blew up the relationship between Mr. Trump and General Brown’s predecessor, Gen. Mark A. Milley.
Days after Mr. Floyd’s death, General Milley, wearing his Army fatigues, accompanied Mr. Trump in a walk across Lafayette Square near the White House for a photo op after an aggressive clearing of a peaceful demonstration. General Milley was widely criticized for allowing Mr. Trump to drag him into politics.
General Brown electrified the military rank and file on June 4, 2020, when as Pacific Air Forces commander, he released his four-minute video, which he called, simply, “What I’m thinking about.”
He is thinking about how full he is with emotion, not just for George Floyd, but the many African Americans that suffered the same fate as George Floyd. He is thinking about living in two worlds, both with their own perspectives and views. He spoke of his life as an African American fighter pilot, and how he was often the only African American in his squadron, or, as a senior officer, the only African American in the room.
He mentioned how he was once asked by a military member, “Are you a pilot?” while wearing the same flight suit as his peers. He spoke of being told by other African Americans that he wasn’t Black enough, since he was spending more time with his squadron than with them. He wondered if airmen who have not had similar experiences don’t see racism as a problem because it doesn’t happen to them, or if they’re empathetic.
General Brown also mentioned the weight he felt as the first African American nominated to be chief of the Air Force. He was then nominated by Mr. Trump for that position, on Mr. Esper’s recommendation. General Brown would go on to become the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Joseph R. Biden Jr., in an 83-11 Senate vote. For the first time in its history, the Pentagon was led by two Black men, with Lloyd J. Austin III, Mr. Biden’s defense secretary.
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