- President Donald Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke Tuesday to many of the nation's top military officers.
- The president touted his support of the military — and many of his other controversial policies.
- Hegseth echoed his oft-repeated message that merit — not race or gender — will be central in deciding promotions and enacting policies.
Today’s military, said President Donald Trump on Tuesday, is “bringing back a focus on fitness, ability, character and strength.”
Standing in front of a giant American flag, Trump — along with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth — touted the “merit based” direction of the U.S. Armed Forces at an unusual gathering of hundreds of generals and admirals who were summoned to Quantico, Virginia, on short notice.
The purposes of the American military, said the commander in chief, “are not to protect anyone’s feelings. It’s to protect our republic, and it’s the republic that we dearly love. It’s to protect our country.”
“We will not be politically correct when it comes to defending American freedom — and we will be a fighting and winning machine.”
In a starkly partisan and often wandering 70-plus-minute speech, the president touted his ongoing tariffs, his recent National Guard/Washington, D.C., actions and his immigration policies — while also bashing ‘“the corrupt press.”
“What a difference a presidential election can make,” he said, pointing to increases in military enlistments across the U.S. armed forces.
The senior officers who gathered together Tuesday at Quantico, said Trump, “represent the greatest and most elite fighting force in the history of the world — the United States military.
“We’re very proud of our military. I rebuilt the military during my first term. It’s one of the greatest achievements. We had the greatest economy in history and I built the military — those are the two things I say more than anything else.”
The “warrior spirit,” he said, is reawakening.
“This is a spirit that won and built this nation — from the cavalry that tamed the Great Plains to the ferocious, unyielding power of Patton, Bradley and the great Gen. Douglas MacArthur, these were all great men in this effort.
“We’re a team. And so my message to you is very simple: I am with you. I support you, and as president, I have your backs 100%.”
There’s an “exciting renewal of the spirit of the armed forces,” Trump added, pointing to enlistment increases in the military over those “of the ‘Sleepy Joe Biden’ era.”
Trump: Rebranding and rebuilding the ‘War Department’
Trump said the nation’s military leaders commit to “every patriot” who puts on the uniform “that the American military remains the most lethal and dominant on the planet — not merely for a few years, but for the decades and generations to come; for centuries.
“We must be so strong that no nation will dare challenge us. So powerful that no enemy will dare threaten us. And so capable that no adversary can even think about beating us.”
He spoke of his recent decision to rebrand the “Department of Defense” as the Department of War.”
The agency was the War Department during the World Wars and earlier, he said. “And then we went, in a way, ‘woke.’ That was probably the first sign of wokeness — and we changed it to ‘Defense’ instead of ‘War.’”
The president said he’s committed to spending over $1 trillion on the military in 2026 — “and that’s the most in the history of our country.”
Meanwhile, the country is investing “tens of billions of dollars” in modernizing its nuclear deterrence capabilities and constructing the Golden Dome Missile Defense Shield. The Trump military budget, he added, is boosting ship building to fortify the Navy.
The president also announced that all U.S. military personnel would be receiving a 3.8% pay raise. “That’s something you weren’t getting from the past administration.
“They did not treat you with respect. They’re Democrats. They never do.”
Military supremacy, he concluded, has never been simply a matter of money or manpower. “It is the ‘cultural spirit’ of our military that truly sets us apart from any other nation.
“Our ultimate strength will always come from the fierce people — those brilliant people with such pride — and the unbending will and traditions of excellence that have made us the most unstoppable force ever to walk the face of the earth.”
Tariffs, affirmative action — and the Nobel Peace Prize
Much of Trump’s speech Tuesday focused on issues outside the military:
- The nation’s borders, said Trump of his first term, were once secure.
“We didn’t have people coming in from jails and prisons and everything like that took place over the last four years. I’ll never forget what happened to this country over the last four years with the incompetence.”
- Trump said he’s settled seven wars across the globe since he took office in January — and hinted that peace in the Middle East is a strong possibility.
Regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine: “It’s a war that would have never happened if I were president; if the election wasn’t rigged.”
- The Nobel Peace Prize? Trump said he doesn’t want it.
“They’ll give it to some guy that didn’t do a damn thing. They’ll give it to a guy that wrote a book about the mind of Donald Trump — and what it took to solve the war.”
- On tariffs: I love tariffs. It’s the most beautiful word, but I’m not allowed to say that anymore. I said ‘tariff’ is my favorite word. I love the word tariff. You know, we’re becoming rich as hell.”
- On the repeal of affirmative action in college admissions:
“Kids with the highest boards and the highest marks … couldn’t get into the best schools. And people that had not good boards and not very good marks … were getting into the best colleges.
“I said, ‘this is just crazy, we can’t run a country like this.
“It was lingering for years, and it got to the Supreme Court, and we won that decision. Merit. Everything’s based on merit. You’re all based on merit. We’re not going to have somebody taking your place for political reasons — because they are politically correct and you’re not. We take the people that are going to do the best job.”
- On deploying National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.:
“Washington, D.C., went from our most unsafe city to just about our safest city in a period of a month. We had it under control in 12 days.
Trump also pointed to cities “run by the radical left Democrats” such as San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
“They’re very unsafe places, and we’re going to straighten them out, one by one.
“This is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That’s a war, too. It’s a war from within. Controlling the physical territory of our border is essential to national security.”
Hegseth: No more ‘fat generals and admirals’
Hegseth’s message Tuesday to the senior officers was equally bellicose — echoing his oft-repeated call for the “warrior ethos” across the armed services.
“To ensure peace, we must prepare for war from this moment forward,” he said
“The only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this: War fighting. Preparing for war and preparing to win — unrelenting and uncompromising in that pursuit.
“Not because we want war. No one here wants war. But it’s because we love peace. We love peace for our fellow citizens. They deserve peace — and they rightfully expect us to deliver it.”
Daily military operations, promotions and policies, said Hegseth, would be guided by merit.
In the past, he added, the military has been forced “by foolish and reckless politicians” that focus on the wrong things.
“For too long, we’ve promoted too many uniform leaders for the wrong reasons based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called ‘firsts,’” he said.
“We’ve pretended that combat arms and non-combat arms are the same thing. We’ve weeded out so-called toxic leaders under the guise of double-blind psychology assessments — promoting ‘risk-averse-go-along-to-get-along’ conformists, instead.”
Hegseth attacked so-called “woke” policies and practices that divert the military from its mission to defend the country and win wars.
Now, he said, there are “no more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusion. No more debris.”
The military is done, he added, “with that (expletive).”
Today’s military personnel will also be expected to meet high physical and grooming standards. No more “fat generals and admirals,” said Hegseth. “That’s “completely unacceptable.”
Beards, long hair and other forms of “superficial, individual expression” also run counter to the needed appearances.
“So whether you’re an Airborne Ranger or a ‘Chair-Born Ranger’ — a brand new private or a four-star general — you need to meet the height and weight standards and pass your PT (fitness) test.”
Meanwhile, Hegseth said combat troops will be required to meet “the highest male standards” on physical fitness tests.
“Standards must be uniform, gender-neutral and high. If not, they’re not standards — they’re just suggestions. Suggestions that get our sons and daughters killed.”
Any job that requires physical power to perform in combat must be gender-neutral. “If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is,” said Hegseth. “If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result.”
Upholding and demanding high standards, he added, is not “toxic” leadership.
“Leading war fighters toward the goals of high, gender-neutral and uncompromising standards — in order to forge a cohesive, formidable and lethal Department of War — is not toxic. It is our duty, consistent with our Constitutional Oath.”
Hegseth told the generals and admirals Tuesday that those who wear the nation’s uniform perform an essential duty that differentiates them from their civilian counterparts.
“We fight not because we hate what’s in front of us. We fight because we love what’s behind us.”