- Royal Air Force Mildenhall, an airbase near Suffolk, England, appeared to be "liking" tweets related to President Donald Trump's 2020 election campaign since at least January.
- The verified Twitter account for RAF Mildenhall liked numerous campaign-related tweets from Trump's 2020 campaign, including messages like "The Republican Party Has Never Been More United!"
- The account also liked one of Trump's tweets disparaging the Democratic Party in a clear break with the US military's status as a nonpartisan institution.
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A military base housing US troops appeared to be "liking" tweets related to President Donald Trump's 2020 election campaign since at least January.
The verified Twitter account for RAF Mildenhall in England liked numerous campaign-related tweets from Trump's 2020 campaign, including messages like "The Republican Party Has Never Been More United!"
The account also liked one of Trump's tweets from January 12, in which the president referenced Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders' electability in the upcoming presidential election and disparaged the Democratic Party.
"Wow! Crazy Bernie Sanders is surging in the polls, looking very good against his opponents in the Do Nothing Party," Trump said on Twitter. "So what does this all mean? Stay tuned!"
In another liked tweet on January 4, Trump channeled his tendency to use epithets and railed against the then-ongoing impeachment investigation.
"... It is ashame [sic] that the Democrats make us spend so much time & money on this ridiculous Impeachment Lite Hoax," Trump tweeted. "I should be able to devote all of my time to the REAL USA!"
Royal Air Force Mildenhall, an airbase near Suffolk, England, includes units from various US groups, including the US Air Force's Special Operations Command and US Air Forces in Europe. It is the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing, the "only permanent US air refueling wing" in Europe, according to RAF Mildenhall's website.
Roughly 3,000 US troops are stationed at the base as of 2018, in addition to 370 American civilians, according to the US Air Force.
The Twitter account, which includes a link to the RAF Mildenhall website managed by the US Air Force personnel, notes in a disclaimer that retweets and links do not signify as an endorsement; however, it does not mention liked tweets.
Similar endorsement disclaimers from other military units, such as the US Army's 3rd Special Forces Group, encompasses Twitter-likes, as well as the account's follows and retweets.
While RAF Mildenhall's absence of a disclaimer for Twitter-likes may not be indicative of an intentional endorsement for Trump's campaign, it raises questions as to whether the US military is adhering to status as a nonpartisan institution or whether public affairs officials are closely monitoring the postings by official commands.
Trump's association with the US military continues to be a controversial subject; and some lawmakers and former officials have questioned whether he's used it as a political prop for his presidency. Trump's surprise trip to Iraq to visit US troops during the Christmas holidays was mired in criticism after he signed pieces of campaign memorabilia for the troops, including hats emblazoned with the "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan.
The most recent Trump campaign-related Twitter-like from the airbase was also made about two days before the US military's top leader issued a warning about political activities. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday issued a military-wide memo reiterating that US service members should "uphold ... longstanding tradition of remaining apolitical."
"Maintaining the hard-earned trust and confidence of the American people requires us to avoid any action that could imply endorsement of a political party, political candidate or campaign by any element of the Department," Esper wrote in the memo.
RAF Mildenhall did not respond to a request for comment.