Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis roasted President Donald Trump at the Al Smith dinner in New York City on Thursday, according to ABC News.
“I’m not just an overrated general. I’m the world’s greatest overrated general,” Mattis joked a day after Trump called him that during a meeting with lawmakers. “I’m honored to be called that by Donald Trump, because he also called Meryl Streep an overrated actor. So I guess I’m the Meryl Streep of generals.”
Mattis also made a crack about bone spurs, Trump’s excuse for avoiding the Vietnam War draft.
“I earned my spurs on the battlefield; Donald Trump earned his spurs in a letter from a doctor,” he said.
He threw in a jab at the President’s affinity for free time and golfing.
“It’s been a year since I’ve left the administration, the recovery process is going well,” he joked. “The counselor says I’ll graduate soon. A year according to White House time is about 9,000 hours of executive time or 1,800 holes of golf.”
Mattis left the administration in December 2018, saying Trump should find “a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours.” The last straw then for Mattis was Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.
