Trump has yet to be sworn into the White House, but his era appears to have already begun. Among the targets of the “purges” promised by the president-elect is General Christopher Donahue, a symbol of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Donahue’s promotion to four-star general was blocked by Oklahoma GOP Senator Markwayne Mullin, as part of a broader reckoning with those involved in what Trump previously called a “disaster without precedent,” pledging to court-martial those responsible.
Donahue, the current commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty, had been nominated for the rank of four-star general to lead U.S. Army forces in Europe. However, Mullin halted the nomination, allegedly due to dissatisfaction with the handling of the Kabul evacuation.
Tasked with overseeing the final withdrawal, Donahue directed the evacuation of U.S. troops, embassy personnel, and Afghan allies. He was also the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan, immortalized in a viral night-vision photograph capturing his departure aboard a military cargo plane—an emblematic image marking the end of the United States’ 20-year presence in the region.
Mullin’s move has sparked mixed reactions. Retired General Tony Thomas, former head of the U.S. Special Operations Command, criticized the senator’s decision, calling it “a disgrace” and accusing Mullin of using Donahue as “a political pawn.” Heather Nauert, former State Department spokesperson during Trump’s first term, echoed these concerns on social media: “I’m a Trump supporter and I respect Senator Mullin, but holding up a military promotion over the Afghanistan withdrawal is wrong, unless there are facts I don’t know.”
Donahue’s promotion is part of a package of over 900 military nominations currently before the Senate, which now risks stalling indefinitely. With the chamber preparing for its customary autumn recess, the timeline is tight. Within weeks, the new Republican-controlled Congress, largely aligned with Trump’s hardline positions, will take over, leaving the future of Donahue’s promotion uncertain.
