Meet Senator Tom Cotton, who could be Donald Trump’s vice president: He decried pro-Palestinian protesters, called for the military suppression of Black Lives Matter, and flew a flag associated with the Capitol riots

Cotton, an Arkansas senator, has enjoyed a rapid rise on Capitol Hill, beginning in 2013 in the House of Representatives. Cotton, who considered running for president a few years ago, is not without controversy himself. Whether he was accused of inciting violence or supporting military intervention, here’s what you need to know about the 47-year-old soldier.

Tom Cotton’s longtime relationship with Donald Trump

According to the New York Times, Trump has been “praising” cotton for years. In 2016, Trump, then President of the United States, considered Cotton for an administrative position, with the two forming a strong relationship. The publication reports that they worked together on immigration issues at the time.

In a New Yorker profile article, Cotton said that when Trump is mocked because of his hair, skin color and accent, it is actually mockery of all of his supporters: “ What I don’t think they realize is that here in Arkansas and in the heartland and in the places that made the difference in these elections, like Michigan and Wisconsin, when we hear these kinds of ridiculous, we hear them making fun of the way we look, the way we speak and the way we think.

He went to Harvard and wrote for the Crimson

Cotton attended Harvard Law School where he helped organize the Harvard Model Congress and wrote for the Crimson, the campus daily newspaper. According to the Crimson, in his final column in the publication, Cotton said he had taken positions that he hoped would help stimulate debate: “I intended to challenge my writings; and by challenging myself, I wanted to improve, awaken sleeping minds. It is this platform that has helped raise his profile.

His “Send in the Troops” column in the New York Times

In 2020, Cotton caused a stir when he wrote an op-ed for The New York Times titled “Send in the Troops” in which he said the military should be called in to end the Black Lives Matter protests happening at the time. The protests took place following the murder of George Floyd, a black man killed by a white police officer during an arrest.

Cotton’s article received very negative reactions, particularly from journalists working within the publication itself. The New York Times later admitted that the article did not meet all of its editorial requirements.

His controversial comments on the Gaza protests

Cotton later said in an interview on Fox News that “if (protesters) stuck their hands to their car or on the sidewalk, it would probably be pretty painful to have your skin ripped off.” He also commented on a video of a man dragging protesters off the road, saying “(this) is how it should be done.”

His flag against the Capitol riots

According to the Daily Beast, Cotton flew the controversial “Call to Heaven” Christian nationalist flag in front of his Senate office, which depicts a pine tree. According to the publication, the flag was used as a unifier among “pro-Trump religious insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol.”

He’s a soldier

The Arkansas senator served nearly five years in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer, in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to his website. He received the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge. He told the New Yorker that he “wanted to lead troops in combat” and gave up his career as a lawyer to serve his country.