MSNBC Host Nicolle Wallace Tells Colbert: Trump’s Use of Military Feels ‘Alarmingly Different’ in Second Term
During a Tuesday appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace expressed deep concern over what she characterized as President Donald Trump’s increasingly aggressive and unilateral use of military force during his second term.
In a candid exchange, Wallace stated it “feels different” this time around when it comes to Trump’s engagement with the U.S. military. Before using explicit language, she paused to ask Colbert, “Can we swear here?” to which the host gave his approval. “It feels different to f— around with the military,” she said. “He wanted to do it the first time, but people like Mark Milley and others stopped him. Now, it feels really different to use the military so openly, as pawns in a public tactic. That’s what’s dangerous.”
Wallace went on to criticize the current administration’s lack of moderating figures. “There are no ‘normal Republicans’ left,” she argued, contrasting Trump’s current team with past officials such as former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. She warned that figures like Stephen Miller are now operating unchecked, citing Miller’s orchestration of aggressive ICE raids and his role in a law-enforcement “siege” on Los Angeles.
The discussion came amid rising unrest in Los Angeles, where Trump recently deployed both National Guard troops and, reportedly, a battalion of 700 U.S. Marines in response to protests against immigration enforcement crackdowns. The protests escalated into riots in some areas, prompting federal intervention.
In response to public backlash, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended the president’s decision in a statement to Fox News Digital. She blamed Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom for enabling chaos and praised Trump for “stepping in to protect federal law enforcement officers” when local officials “refused to act.”
Colbert also pressed Wallace on the state of the Democratic Party and the potential rise of authoritarianism. Wallace replied that, unlike the GOP, Democrats still had the capacity to course-correct. “You’re always one leader away from a comeback,” she said. “The Democratic Party hasn’t turned on itself the way the Republican Party has. The Republican Party is still following Trump downward.”
Wallace reflected further on Trump’s political style and its impact on American institutions. She previously made headlines during her coverage of Trump’s address to Congress, where he honored a young cancer survivor, DJ Daniel, by naming him an honorary Secret Service agent. While expressing hope for the boy’s future, Wallace also issued a sobering warning. “I hope he never has to defend the Capitol against Trump’s supporters,” she said, referencing the deadly aftermath of the January 6 insurrection. “And if he does, I hope he’s not one of the officers who takes his own life or ends up testifying against those who carried out acts of seditious conspiracy — only to see Trump pardon them.”
The segment drew criticism from Trump and his allies, continuing a longstanding feud between the former president and Wallace, a former Republican communications director who has since become one of his most vocal media critics.
