For somebody born in 1946, Patton, MacArthur and the other generals were more of a presence than they are for those born decades later.
I get that Patton and MacArthur had judgement problems sometimes and that may be a cause for concern in Trump. I also understand that speechifying is different from making and executing real plans.
Using the term "media whores" in reference to Patton and MacArthur is offensive, though. They gave interviews, sure, and MacArthur cultivated his persona, but most of their time was spent on what mattered: winning the war.
The irony that the professor who used it certainly hasn't been shy about getting his name in the papers shouldn't be lost on readers.
So far as the stature of Patton and McArthur are concerned, it's worth knowing that:
a. Patton's opponents, the Germans, considered him the most dangerous Allied general. A special unit was devoted to studying his tactics and trying to anticipate his moves. That is "respect".
b. McArthur's Southwest Pacific command suffered the lowest rate of casualties of any Allied command -- despite some of the most difficult fighting conditions in the war (jungle, disease, an opponent that fought to the death).