By David Sole
High echelons of the ruling class are becoming increasingly alarmed that President Donald Trump and his neo-fascist inner circle may cause total economic disaster and mass uprisings that could threaten the entire capitalist order.
The faction attacking Trump has purposely kept their issues narrowly defined. The last thing any of the ruling class wants is for their infighting to arouse a mass movement that might get out of hand and challenge the capitalist system.
The continuing attacks on Trump around the issue of his relation to the late Jeffrey Epstein has certainly weakened the Trump administration. So have the many legal obstacles judges have been throwing in the President’s path. Now a new, if narrow, campaign has been launched with the backing of some of the top military officers.
The issue arose from the murderous attacks against small boats in the Caribbean and Pacific off the coast of South America. With no evidence provided, these have been said by Trump and the Pentagon to be transporting drugs for distribution in the United States. Rather than have the Coast Guard intercept and board these vessels, U.S. planes and drones are destroying them and killing their occupants with missiles. Over 100 people have been reportedly killed. But almost all attention has been focused on a September 2 incident where two survivors of a first strike, in the water and clinging to wreckage, were ordered killed in a “double tap.”
In addition the U.S. Southern Command has mobilized an air-craft carrier battle group with over 15,000 military personnel just off the coast of Venezuela. Trump has repeatedly stated that he intends to either invade that country or carry out a “decapitation” strike to kill Venezuela’s President Nicholas Maduros who is leading a decades long transformation to socialism.
These actions by Commander in Chief Trump have aroused concern among sections of the top military leadership in the Pentagon. Also worrisome to lifelong professional military officers is the background and unprofessional behavior of Trump’s appointee as Secretary of Defense, former Fox News commentator and right-wing Christian nationalist Peter Hegseth.
Top military commanders are required by military discipline and the chain of command to respect their Commander in Chief, the President. It is now being reported, however, that on October 13, 2025 Admiral Alvin Holsey, head of the Southern Command, publicly denounced Donald Trump. Admiral Holsey spoke up at a top leadership meeting held at the Marine Corp University where he attacked Trump for putting troops unnecessarily at risk. He told the President that he was “a disgrace.”
It is also reported that Trump slammed his hand down on the table and, rather than confront his accuser, fled the room. Three days later Admiral Holsey filed for early retirement after 37 years of service. Other reports claim that Holsey was leaving because he has repeatedly clashed with the Secretary of Defence. .
Of course, other top officers, who agree with Admiral Holsey, would not be expected to speak up. But just one month later, on November 18, six former military and intelligence service officers (one U.S. Senator and five U.S. Representatives) released a video addressed to all members of the armed services and National Guard. They called for soldiers “to refuse to carry out illegal, unconstitutional orders” as laid out in the Uniform Code of Military Conduct. It must be assumed that these politicians had the encouragement of many military top leaders who couldn’t speak openly at this time. Trump called for them to be jailed and executed for treason.
These current and former military officers, including Admiral Holsey, it should be remembered, have been loyal servants for the U.S. imperialist system. That system maintains exploitation and oppression around the world that siphons huge profits into the vaults of the big banks and corporations on Wall Street. There have literally been hundreds of violent CIA operations and direct Pentagon interventions going back over 100 years that have killed millions of people.
Opposition inside the military against Trump is only arising now because a faction of the billionaire class is growing seriously concerned that mass rebellion among the population and among the rank-and-file troops may emerge.
What are the signs of this?
Protests against Trump policies have broken out since day one of his second, no consecutive term as president. In April, the “Hands Off” demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands of people. In June, the first “No Kings Day” demonstration was said to have drawn three million or more people. Then, on October 18, the second No Kings Day saw over seven million demonstrators.
On October 1, the Democrats in the Senate refused to vote for the Republican budget unless the Trumpers included longstanding subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care). Without this funding millions of people’s health care costs would skyrocket. Week after week the federal government remained shut down. This included the cutoff of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds.
This affected some 42 million people! In every city and town charity food pantries were overwhelmed by lines of hungry families. Blame was being put squarely on Trump and the Republicans. The November 4 elections all over the country showed a significant shift to the Democrats in state and municipal contests.
Yet on November 12, eight Democratic senators threw their votes to let the Republican budget squeak through the Senate. The same Democratic Party that had been blocking and beating the Republicans arranged for eight of their number – the exact number needed – to switch sides. None of those eight are scheduled to face re-election in 2026. The “liberal” ruling class opposition to Trump ordered an end to that struggle in fear that tens of millions of hungry workers and oppressed people might fuel a serious struggle in the streets along with the millions of political activists already mobilizing.
The lesson is clear from this recent history. Only mass resistance led by poor and working people themselves can really confront the system and fight for an end to racism, poverty and war that arise from the capitalist, imperialist, racist system.
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