Former Defense Secretary James Mattis on The David Rubenstein Show

General James Mattis (Ret.), who served as secretary of defense for President Donald Trump, talks about why he left the post, how to become a great leader, if he would ever go back to working at the White House, and why he doesn't like the nick name "Mad Dog." Mattis appears on the latest episode of "The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations." The interview was recorded on Dec. 5, 2019 in Dallas.

[@warshipsdd-2142]

James Mattis is one of the finest leaders in the long history of the Corps and has done honor to it and to all of us who hold the title of Marine. Semper Fi Sir!

[@harrymcguire9487]

A Garret Solder

[@Otter-Destruction]

Patron Saint of Chaos

[@RicardoInacio039]

@@harrymcguire9487 e

[@RicardoInacio039]

@@harrymcguire9487 e

[@RicardoInacio039]

@Christopher Wolfgang e

[@kenreddington9043]

Thanks so much to David Rubenstein for running such a great show! Great guest and just a great interview experience. Thank you!

[@beverlyjoycook5115]

THANK you for your SERVICE General Mattis.

[@boredstrayingtheinternet2557]

It was great personalities like Mattis, with honest intentions, who brought freedom to the people and guaranteed peace in the western hemisphere over decades. I was born 1969 in West-Germany and I can only be grateful.

[@htunoo434]

The way he controls the questions are flawless. He is like only sitting unmoving figure, with everything else around him moving.

[@andypotanin]

Well said.

[@oddno.1fantasy]

Amazing man...lots of respect to you sir.....from India

[@jimgregory6185]

What a class act. I'm such a huge fan of General Mattis.

[@jeffbigbear1766]

Excellent modest man Mattis. A real leader.

[@babydaddy4257]

My Question is "How does David only have

[@WallaceDunn]

Good question. I just subscribed based on your comment.

[@Tkanyike]

Brenden ftw few theories to your question.. 1) would be that the subject matter he covers isn’t predicated on the same value point as regular entertainment whereas we value his channel on the # of subscribers.. 2) the ppl who he interviews are titans in there industries, ppl whom ppl don’t often know much about them accept for their companies etc...& so it wouldn’t surprise me much that entertainment side of this program gets less (or in your view) less traction. The 2 aren’t related... of course if it were p diddy (all entertainment.. bullshit) then ppl would be all over it. For me I preferred it quiet. Select few audience, specific interests etc etc & if that’s not good enough consider that there far less billionaires in the world anyway.. about 2k.. maybe the the 1st thousand are his buddies lol

[@bobbyrizzo3002]

This man has been married.. to his country!! SEMPER FI ol warrior!

[@nickrachjames]

That was a very good interview and found much respect for the General. We need more people like him.

[@andypotanin]

When I grow up I want to be just like Jim Mattis.

[@davidwang6791]

Andy Potanin how old are you ?

[@joychen9369]

Why？

[@davidolson8537]

Great interview of a great American. It would be awesome to have him back in an influential role.

[@ArizonaSquatch]

He's a coward. He turned his back on America.

[@xzzdm]

Great interview and very inspiring.

[@zibabird]

Excellent! Thank you, shared.

[@mike.p.1400]

I’d like to see more recent interviews. Particularly concerning the virus/ recession.

[@bobbyrizzo3002]

Great interview.. Ty David

[@lanekelly79]

He’s an awesome catch. 💕

[@cindygriffin6152]

Great show

[@samuelpayes8298]

This is an awesome man, if all the military chiefs have been like him the people would have more trusts in military and how they act, what a great man, what an example given his all life for his country

[@jameskawaikaupejrcwo3usmcr573]

Thank you for your support and your interest in our military. Especially General James “Jim “ Mattis. The General and I have known each other since 1990. The beginning of the Gulf War. He was the Battalion Commander of 1st Battalion, 7th Marines Regiment out in 29 Palms California. I was with the 1st Marine Division G-6, Communications Electronics Office as one of their Staff Officers when I first met him. Outstanding Marine Officer and leader.

[@maritessvillanuevamayer8895]

This is a great interview! Jim Mattis is looking ready for the next mission - White House. :) General, I will be one of your strong supporters. If you say 'Lets Go', we Go!

[@c3aloha]

Spring Lamb wrong. General Mattis is erudite, articulate, a deep strategic thinker, and inspirational leader. Everything Trump isn’t!!! MATTIS 2020!!!! Semper Fi

[@udonewsreport]

The preferred MRE of the Madog was a Battalion favorite, the Beef Slices and Barbecue Sauce; the Salty Dog that he is, he was known to trade away his chocolate cookie : )

[@sharonreilly2202]

Consistent Integrity, Humility, able to self deflate ego

[@johnwilliam8366]

When your the "Finest its hard to be humble" " The few the proud the Marines." One of the greatest Marine Generals of my time.!!!!

[@douglassauvageau7262]

"YOU RIDE FOR THE BRAND"!

[@brake1adam]

With the up most respect Sir... james Mattis... Thank you for your service... out stand man and leader... awesome tough and definghtly part of the best generation to walk the earth... Again... Thank you for your service...

[@heofthebee]

Thanks David, Mattis is an awesome Leader. He is Loyal to the Young men in uniform-- and how things look to them even though he is gone from his post. Mattis is an Amazing man- a considerate mind.

[@sandramaynes1050]

l am sorry! l took it as you being a very strong person to keep us safe!

[@erikpeterson25]

I'm like Dallas..forward looking.....interesting comment.

[@pattshook653]

General Mattis is my kind of man.

[@ogdennutting6503]

What an excellent intro👏🏻!

[@Nicolas-uu3jr]

I figured just now that "trust" and "loyalty" aren't really the same thing....

[@jonboyer4601]

Give a man power and find out what kind of man he is.......Abraham Lincoln

[@smaximus4071]

We need more Great men like Mattis, not just in the military but in politics as well. Total respect!!!

[@tantingtagamolila9888]

James Mattis is the epitome of responsibility and respectability.

[@violet9082]

What a great man! I hope he runs for President.

[@mikewaters6339]

As a Marine, he was amazing and on point. But unfortunately he has changed, not sure I can say I have the same respect for him.

[@cheeriozkitty]

What an amazing guy.

[@PierreMarcLegault]

Awesome 👍

[@cdr861532]

Ask any Marine that was around during the Mattis days......they LOVED him. A true soldiers soldier.....one of my favorite DefSec of all time. Colin Powell is up there too. Any time that we have an actual veteran as the Defense Secretary and not some chicken hawk like Cheney, the troops are in much better hands.

[@rebelmia4751]

Except he's not a soldier

[@cdr861532]

@@rebelmia4751 It's a figure of speech.....chill out.

[@rebelmia4751]

@@cdr861532 i know. 'A true marine's marine.' There. I fixed it for ya.

[@sandramaynes1050]

(Mad Dog ) ls the best❣Thank Y😊u For Your Service❣

[@joychen9369]

James Mattis, you are really a bad man!😡

[@terrystephens1102]

One of America’s really excellent leaders, a true patriot in every sense.😃❤️❤️

[@varundhanak]

Nothing but respect.

[@adeltalebpour4955]

LEGEND 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 Salute the General

[@StonedustandStardust]

What a fine man this Mattis is. Yes, I would feel comfortable with him in charge.

[@leilagomulka5690]

So sweet

[@daviddoran3164]

Mattis is a great leader.

[@daviddoran3164]

And he's cool!!

[@cometloadstar8232]

He bent the knee to cadet bone spurs

[@tribunalulpermanentdayanad2596]

Fostul Secretar al Apărării - ”Generalul Generalilor” - James N. Mattis, este un lider cu personalitate completă, care poate deține orice funcție în stat! Este de bună credință, este dedicat națiunii și interesului național și nu are nici o intenție de câștig, material. Este de o modestie rară, cinstit, sincer corect, onorant Își guvernează propria viață, gândește corect. Deci fiind dedicat națiunii, nu i va face rău. Nu este politicean, cu intenții populiste, dacă nu a putut îndrepta o situație, care amenința armata, starea de fapt și națiunea, a plecat. A privit în tăcere. Și a pus experiența sa, în slujba președinților, dar cred că nu l au înțeles. Nu are ce își reproșa. A sesizat la timp pericolele și consecințele unor decizii greșite. A conduce, să fii responsabil de securitatea națională și cea internațională, într o lume, în schimbare rapidă impune o cultură vastă, o pregătire de excepție, experiență și o înțelepciune, cu care poți avea o viziune asupra lumii și a evenimentelor ce se vor produce. Avea totul la el. Nu poate fi înlocuit. Greu de egalat. Așadar dragi americani, a plecat Jim de la Pentagon, s a dus liniștea planetei.

[@jeffreyrichardson]

Marines are very good people, who truly care about our country's position in our world.

[@jguerrero447]

A Profile in Courage type of man. I wish we had a person like him in the White House.

[@BETTERWORLDSGT]

Definitely!

[@joychen9369]

He definitely is a man and in his house.

[@joychen9369]

因为中美关系恶化，如果他伤害我是不知情的情况下与中国政府有协议，那么做为未来中国国家主席的我一定不会支持他当总统，他可以去中国，我答应照顾他。如果他和中国政府没有瓜葛，那他就在美国等着被全体中国人民报复，他更不可以当美国总统。美国政府会抛弃他。

[@joefreeman2799]

Sadly I lost confidence in Pres Trump when Mattis resigned. His resignation was the most that our military and defense policy would be poorly handled . As it has berm.

[@joefreeman2799]

@4 MORE YEARS ! been. Sadly we dont. Trumps foreign policy treatment of allies and foes and military made agreement all we t down hill after Mattis left.

[@jonathanperez8386]

Foresight ! “I don’t look back..I look foreword”!

[@michaelmurphy75]

THE Warrior Monk ; not a politician; a man of & for ALL who stand in harm's way.

[@masonfitzgerald944]

Hearing his comments on silence on the President’s policies hit very hard today. He tried very hard to keep his silence out of respect for unity. Lots of respect for this man

[@stephenwilson9872]

It impressed me. And it was me

[@jeremyjohnson2466]

12:25 the audience should have applauded him for bringing everyone home alive.

[@elstevobevo]

When discussing the branches of the military, he forgot to mention the Space Force.

[@oussamahijazy1841]

Great speech

[@andresgarcia-fx6xo]

Semper fi Sir, i hope someone translate this interview in Spanish i hope the entire continent listen.

[@antiv]

What a high caliber man.

[@upahtv]

I think he is a humble and good man.

[@irondiver292]

This guy is hilarious

[@SuperKwame1]

David you’re very silly, I love you anyway!

[@Neilistic1001]

"The person who made the mistake was me." General, we know you wanted to retire from public service. But the answer is "No."

[@geraldmorain3166]

Thank you Sir USAF 81 - 87

[@tjadventures9163]

👍🏻

[@stevenharris6626]

General Mattis is a true Hero!!

[@krystalpatterson7643]

Matthias is a war hawnk!! If you want all our young men in a war zone all their life,then yes Mathias is your man!!!!!!

[@Abraham-uk4xy]

This is a superb guy with high principles.

[@user53575]

Can't wait to meet you Jim. We'll see how tough you really are. I'll video everything.

[@stephenwilson9872]

That was my hardest. To accept

[@paulpasternak2026]

I trust Mr Mattis

[@stephenwilson9872]

I said. I’m crazy right and went inside

[@Randall2023]

Winnipeg Manitoba Canada 🇨🇦

[@enoughwithbeginner3566]

"Build Trust" "Listen carefully"

[@dannystranahan1004]

On Jan. 17, 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower gave the nation a dire warning about what he described as a threat to democratic government. He called it the military-industrial complex, a formidable union of defense contractors and the armed forces. Eisenhower, a retired five-star Army general, the man who led the allies on D-Day, made the remarks in his farewell speech from the White House.

[@jameskawaikaupejrcwo3usmcr573]

Lest we forget. One of the greatest Marine Corps generals, a recipient of the Medal of Honor, twice, LtGen Smedley Darlington Butler said it best: “War is a Racket. You know he’s definitely right.

[@dannystranahan1004]

​@@jameskawaikaupejrcwo3usmcr573Semper Fi Gunny 0369

[@adammedeiros6265]

I think he would make a great president

[@nicholasrahn7469]

Daddy matti! Run for president please!

[@pfekula]

Give me a chance to do the right thing. If I have a public trial, it will be a media circus. However, I can agree to some form of probation. I just moved to a town where there is a military base. Ideally, I would report there daily for to be debriefed. I will also agree to take down my Quora writings publicly, provided they are saved for a later date to be edited and processed. I am looking for a way to be compliant and come on the right side of things legally. I totally agree that I would benefit from being secured or supervised in some way. However, I think we need to zero in on a compromise that suits everyone.

[@rajsriramanan8130]

Sir please become the US president not the US needs you but the whole world needs some one like you to become the leader of a free world every time I hear you inspire me and like Thank you for your service to the free world

[@leilagomulka5690]

❤❤❤

[@finsensetv]

I love your work David. Is it possible to James Comey on your show.

[@appletree9843]

Military man Solutes

[@adminuser9102]

Heros and diamonds are made under extreme pressure. It’s an honor to learn from your leadership.

[@powriter44]

Brilliant

[@leilagomulka5690]

Chaotic kilz Basel rap star - my favorite

[@stephenwilson9872]

I coukd have been with you

[@B3LLAT0R93]

Mattis for 2020

[@mermaidtailsgeig5272]

OniTheVenerable he knows nothing about economics... he’s just a war hound.

[@B3LLAT0R93]

@@mermaidtailsgeig5272 I'd like to share a portion of a poem by Charles Bukowski, it goes, "...and the best at murder are those who preach against it and the best at hate are those who preach love and the best at war finally are those who preach peace.." . Though Mattis built a career on war he is known as a warrior monk, a man of great virtue and knowledge. His specialty is not just the phenomenon of war but courage and composure under fire he is more then capable to lead a nation with these attributes alone.

[@thomascooperhopewelljr109]

Attorney general garland showed me that’s

[@ronagoodwell2709]

Easy to like Mattis. Rubenstein was overly deferential with his questions though. Mattis was right in the middle of an awful lot of pivotal events. Would have been nice to learn why the hunt for Osama was summarily abandoned by the Bush administration. It was that decision that kept us in Afghanistan with no further plan and no way out. But overall, Mattis is a guy you want on your side. "Trust is the coin of the realm."

[@TheClemcaster]

Rubenstein is not a fool; he would have gotten short shrift had he pressured the General. Your assessment of why America is 'half in and half out' of Afghanistan is fairly superficial - although the 'no plan' bit is quite true...you'd think that something would have been learnt after Vietnam. Having said that, your slightly one dimensional evaluation is understandable as most people have little concept of why the US came to be there and why it continues to be a source of vexation - and not just for America I'd hasten to add. Gen. Mattis stated that it was a matter of duty that he accepted the post. In my opinion, he probably regretted his decision within the first week of taking on the task. Trump is an intellectual midget - with the attention span of a fruit fly by all accounts.

[@saltymonke3682]

because of Iraq

[@babydaddy4257]

Mattis talks at 13:30 about knowing where Osama bin Laden was but missing the opportunity to catch him before he got to Pakistan. We would have had to invade Pakistan, yet another middle eastern country, in order to chase him down, so they waited till the CIA located him and sent the seals in in one night and took him out. Back in Afghanistan Al Qaeda and the Taliban were still fighting with American troops and we were taking all prisoners to interrogate for info on Bin Laden.

[@globetrotternews]

Should have asked about being a board member of Theranos. The multi-billion dollar scam.

[@mermaidtailsgeig5272]

Rona Goodwell why do we only have a two party system?

[@ulovaht1969]

The geninious leader ..listen learn and lead

[@pedro97w]

You need to find a "Safe Space" to "Shelter" in if Meanie Man Trump is so offensive General

[@r.mcnally1665]

James Mattis doesn't bow to Chuck Norris, Chuck Norris bows to the General James Mattis......

[@aliqazilbash5231]

"Esteemed are those men who do not shrink from danger..." some athenian guy, I am curious about your suggestion on how one might socialize his subordinates to be less assertive? because I noticed you mentioned to empower others so they can make their own decisions, that is autonomy .... that is leadership. to leader your leaders, would that be from assignment? Ali

[@donaldalmeida2483]

Why do our troops call the enemy's army "terrorists"? Terrorists are people dedicated to attacking and terrorizing a civilian population. We were fighting the Iraqi army, not terrorists. I talked to an A10 pilot who blew up a busload of people in Iraq and he felt badly until he was told they were a busload of terrorists. My guess is the bus was full of Iraqi soldiers, not terrorists. Reading accounts of fighter pilots flying in Vietnam. They referred to the opposition as Communist pilots rather than enemy pilots. I can't imagine the MIG pilot as being a "Communist". His country is governed by a Communist form of government and he happens to live there. And since he lives in a country where we happen to be at war, he is the enemy. Our military historically gives the enemy a name that inspires anger and hate among our troops that some would call racist. However, there are many who often refer to our enemies as "the bad guys" and that's more realistic. God bless General Jim Mattis, Ph.D., USMC retired. Intellectuals in the Marines similar to Mattis are called "monks" and that's a compliment.

[@stephenwilson9872]

I figure the ones watching. I. Hope got good lol. Watching me chase ghosts

[@Dan-fz5nn]

I loved this guy, wish he was still in Trumps cabinet

[@bisbeekid]

Having spent over 40 years myself in the military, this extraordinary leader belongs in anyone else's cabinet, except Trump's.

[@CatharticusX]

bisbeekid Fantastic reply! Thank you for your service!

[@acreymundo]

Slim there’s no way a man of integrity can serve a man as temperamental and vile as Trump.

[@bisbeekid]

@Spring Lamb That's right Spring Chicken - you are clearly demonstrating that. If you attended middle school you would know that James Buchanan wasn't a very good U.S. President (considered to be the worst). Well, turns out he was a hell of a lot better than the inept narcissistic fool we now have.

[@brettpechatsko5412]

Then you are brainwashed.Look at what politicians done to the American oeople in the past and in the present and in the future.You know trump is making it mandatory to get a "real id " before you fly.What happened to the constitution to be secure in your person,papers and effects?Hhhmm what happened please answere me that.

[@stephenwilson9872]

Was. Like. A wedding proposel

[@leannelivingston6751]

😊❤🎉

[@luiruffolo8710]

I pray Mattis becomes president 🙏🏼

[@ericphantri96734]

This is my leader