Trump's Inner Circle & Use of Military Power The War Cabinet (full documentary) FRONTLINE (PBS)

[Uncle Joe]

When Donald Trump campaigned for his second term, he made a repeated promise: no new wars.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with President Trump’s allies and associates, officials from his first administration, and his critics, as well as former diplomats, military experts and journalists, “The War Cabinet” traces how, after vowing to end wars, not start them, Trump assembled a team of loyalists, and together they pursued a much different course.

That team includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, longtime aide Stephen Miller, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Vice President JD Vance and outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The documentary tells the story of how the cabinet, a group whose members had diverse life stories and worldviews, came together to support the president in his quest to demonstrate the United States’ military might on the international stage.

The film traces how Trump has increasingly sought to cement his legacy and achieve U.S. policy objectives through military strength; how the administration has engaged militarily everywhere from Yemen, to the waters off Venezuela, to Iran; and the roles of key players in Trump’s second-term military decisions. With the Iran conflict now in its third month and threatening to define Trump’s second term, “The War Cabinet” is a must-watch documentary on how the president who promised peace has become a wartime president — and the ongoing ramifications.

“The War Cabinet” is a FRONTLINE production with Kirk Documentary Group, Ltd. The director is Michael Kirk. The writers are Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser. The producers are Michael Kirk, Mike Wiser, Vanessa Fica, Elliott Choi and Philip Bennett. The reporters are Vanessa Fica and Brooke Nelson Alexander. The managing editor of FRONTLINE is Andrew Metz. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.