President Donald Trump “must stop these public provocations immediately,” Rep. Mike Thompson said Friday. | Zach Gibson/Getty Images House Democratic veterans slam Trump’s ‘reckless’ Syria tweets

Several House Democratic veterans Friday lambasted President Donald Trump’s use of Twitter to signal a potential attack on Syria, charging the commander in chief’s use of social media undermines national security and endangers U.S. troops.

“The president’s behavior is both reckless and irresponsible. It endangers the lives of our men and women in uniform,” Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) said during a Capitol Hill news conference.


Trump, he added, “must stop these public provocations immediately.”

Trump appeared to telegraph a retaliatory strike against the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad for its use of chemical weapons, tweeting on Wednesday that missiles "will be coming, nice new and 'smart!'" But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told lawmakers Thursday that no decision had yet been made on Syria.

Asked how lawmakers could reconcile Trump’s tweets with Mattis’ testimony, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said, “It’s easy. The president’s a horrible president.”

“He doesn’t know how to govern. … He just spouts at the mouth like a drunkard,” Gallego said. “That’s the reality of what we’re dealing with.”

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Gallego also criticized Mattis’ assertion the administration has the legal authority to strike Syria. He called for congressional votes to authorize military action, but predicted Republican leaders wouldn't act.

“He should come back and talk to us when it comes to authorizations of war and more actions in Syria,” Gallego said. “I think, unfortunately, you’re going to see the same old [House Speaker Paul] Ryan that we’ve had before, someone that’s not going to be standing up to the president.”

