Recent events in the United States have raised alarm among experts and military observers. There are growing signs that Donald Trump is seeking to turn the military elite into a tool of his political power.
Trump Increases Pressure on the Military: Generals and Admirals Drawn into Political Agenda
Earlier this month, a federal judge sharply criticized the administration for its use of troops in Los Angeles. The ruling included a disturbing detail: National Guard Major General Scott Sherman, an Iraq War veteran, was questioned by a DHS official simply because he expressed disagreement with the administration’s plans.
This episode has become emblematic of the pressure military leaders face when they are drawn into Trump’s controversial initiatives.
Quantico Speech: A Rally Disguised as a Meeting
Trump’s speech at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, where generals and admirals gathered, attracted particular attention. Instead of the president’s traditional address to military leaders, it resembled a campaign rally: a stream of claims about his own “successes,” attacks on Democrats, and open calls to support his political line.
Trump insisted that the United States faces an “enemy within” and proposed using American cities as “training grounds” for the military. He mentioned Chicago, San Francisco, and New York, declaring that the military must “restore order” in these cities.
Politicizing the Army as a Strategy
The president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth essentially attempted to pit generals and admirals against “enemies within”—Democrats, academia, and the media. Hegseth ridiculed the military’s “wokeness” and attacks on transgender people, while Trump bluntly declared: “We are your allies, and they are not.”
Such statements are perceived as setting a dangerous precedent, blurring the lines between the military and politics.
Public Reaction
Polls show that most Americans are skeptical about the idea of actively using the military domestically. Citizens are concerned about potential militarization and see it as a threat to democratic principles.
Nevertheless, Trump continues to push his line. His remarks about dissenting generals “walking out of the room” effectively sounded like a warning that insubordination will cost them their careers and futures.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that if the federal government were to shut down, his administration could take steps that would have “irreversible” consequences for Democrats.
