--- description: Find out why Dan Caine is one of the 100 most influential people of 2026. title: Dan Caine: The 100 Most Influential People of 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt136f3b6176900967/69dfb5133cce02721ce38e24/T100-2026-Web-Dan-Caine-356.png?branch=production --- Apr 15, 2026 # Dan Caine by [Nik Popli](/author/nik-popli/) ## Nik Popli Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer  Annabelle Gordon—Reuters Donald Trump has had a fraught relationship with America’s [top generals](https://time.com/7382491/united-states-sinks-iranian-warship-pentagon-briefing/ "undefined"). Just ask Mark Milley and Charles Q. Brown, decorated military leaders who were cast aside after crossing a President who prizes loyalty as much as victory. Now at the center of that volatile dynamic stands Dan “Razin” Caine, a former Air Force fighter pilot who has emerged as Trump’s most trusted military adviser. Caine’s ascent was improbable: a retired three-star lieutenant general chosen to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff over the Pentagon’s top brass. A series of high-stakes operations, including [strikes](https://time.com/article/2026/04/07/trump-iran-threats-war-crimes/ "undefined") on Iran’s nuclear facilities last summer and the January raid in Venezuela that captured [Nicolás Maduro](https://time.com/7342941/venezuela-maduro-bombing-trump-delta-force/ "undefined"), built Trump’s confidence in Caine. “He only knows one thing, how to WIN,” Trump wrote of Caine in February. As Trump grapples with the war in Iran, Caine’s counsel continues to carry extraordinary weight, shaping not only the President’s legacy, but also America’s role in the world. _Popli is a TIME reporter_ Dan Caine Is on the 2026 TIME100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/dan-caine/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/dan-caine/"},"headline":"Dan Caine","datePublished":"2026-04-15T11:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:31.372Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/dan-caine/","keywords":["TIME 100","list","franchise","Accolades"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt136f3b6176900967/69dfb5133cce02721ce38e24/T100-2026-Web-Dan-Caine-356.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nik Popli","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/nik-popli/"}],"creator":"Nik Popli","articleSection":"TIME100","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt136f3b6176900967/69dfb5133cce02721ce38e24/T100-2026-Web-Dan-Caine-356.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/time100/","name":"TIME100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-100/","name":"TIME 100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/dan-caine/","name":"Dan Caine"}}]}] ```