cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/9617242
Several top US officials in the Trump administration have opted to live in military housing in the Washington area instead of private homes due to safety fears.
A number of White House officials have lived in military housing in the past, but it appears unusual for several cabinet members and other officials to move into military quarters within the short span of Trump’s second term, The Atlantic reported.
In Donald Trump’s first term as US president, Jim Mattis, the US War Secretary, and Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, were known to have lived for a time in military housing, but the trend has now spread to several other top officials in the US administration.
Soon after he was sworn in as secretary of state, Marco Rubio moved in a couple of doors down from his Pentagon counterpart. He lives alone and away from his family, who reside in Florida.
Trump’s War Secretary Pete Hegseth has also reportedly moved to Quarters 8 at Fort McNair in Washington, which has traditionally been the home of the Army’s vice chief of staff.
Other Trump officials also took up residence in housing built and designed for senior admirals and generals in the Washington area.
According to Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, lives in “a government representation facility” owned by the Coast Guard.
Daniel P. Driscoll, the US Army Secretary, has reportedly moved into military housing, as has the US Navy Secretary, John Phelan, whose home in Washington was damaged in a fire in May.
Additionally, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard’s team looked into Fort McNair earlier this year, but a move never happened due to space reasons, a former official told The Atlantic.
It is unclear why so many Trump administration officials have sought to live on military bases, but former US Secretary of War Leon Panetta and his successor, Chuck Hagel, said that they felt secure in their homes with War Department bodyguards posted outside.
US officials have recently faced threats from ordinary US citizens, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction from different classes of US society toward the country’s decision-makers.
Last month, a day after Charlie Kirk died, former White House advisor Katie Miller was confronted by a woman outside her house who told her, “I’m watching you.”
Analysts told The Atlantic that hiding behind guns by top US officials is a result of the polarization among US rulers, reflecting the conflict of interest between powerful groups.
US expansionist policies and rising military spending have left low-income Americans struggling. Nearly 40 million US citizens now live in poverty and rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is set to end on November 1. This has sparked growing tensions and widespread dissatisfaction.
SNAP provides monthly funding to states to help people buy food, but the program currently lacks sufficient resources, threatening unprecedented disruption to food access.
Notably, SNAP funding has not lapsed during any recent government shutdown, highlighting the gravity of the current crisis.