FLASH
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Trump's ominous promise to the US military leadership!
At the Quantico military base in Virginia, one of the most unusual scenes of the relationship between politics and the American military in the history of recent decades took place. Donald Trump and his Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, summoned hundreds of generals and admirals from around the world for a meeting that, according to many analysts, resembled more an electoral rally than a meeting of the high command.
An early warning signal: the Sherman case
The development comes just days after a federal judge released a shocking detail from a court case. In a footnote to the ruling, the judge noted that National Guard General Scott Sherman, a 30-year Iraq veteran, had expressed reservations about the Trump administration’s plan to display military force at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. The reaction from a senior Department of Homeland Security official was surprising: he questioned Sherman’s “loyalty to the country.”
This was a clear example of the climate of political pressure on the military. When a long-serving general is labeled “disloyal” simply for raising professional questions about the use of troops in American cities, the signals of authoritarianism become apparent.
Quantico: a political rally in uniform
It was in this context that Trump's speech at Quantico came. He used an audience of senior military commanders to articulate a dangerous vision: turning American cities into "training grounds" for the military and the National Guard.
" We are under invasion from within. It's no different than a foreign enemy, but harder because they don't wear uniforms. Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, they're very unsafe. We'll fix them one by one. This is a war too. A war from within ," he continued.
On several occasions, Trump addressed the generals with questions that belonged more in a rallying cry than on a military base. He asked them to applaud if they agreed with his statements, and even asked if the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, “was worthless.” When no one raised his hand, Trump interpreted the silence as “support.”
Hegseth, ideology and attacks on the "woke"
In his speech, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continued in the same vein. He described the military as degraded by “woke ideology,” attacked transgender people as “boys in dresses,” and promised the return of “real warriors.” He called for increased physical standards, an end to appearance tolerance, and iron discipline.
But his message was just as political: separating the military from civil society, from elite universities and from the media. “They’ll never understand us,” Hegseth said. “But that’s okay. Because the reason they can do what they do is because you’re here.”
The army as a political weapon
Essentially, the message of the day was clear: Trump and Hegseth are trying to portray themselves as the military’s only political allies, pitting the generals against Democrats, academia and the media. “They’ve never respected you,” Trump said of the Democrats. “We’re on your side, they’re not.”
This is a blatant degradation of the boundary between the military and politics. The United States has always maintained a strong tradition of an apolitical military – an institution above political parties, protecting the constitution rather than individuals or parties. Trump’s speech at Quantico directly attacked this principle.
What do Americans say?
Polls show that most citizens do not support this course. A New York Times/Siena College poll found that more voters fear Trump's use of the military to intimidate political opponents than they do the increased crime if the Guard is not used in cities. In general, Americans do not want to see tanks and soldiers on their streets.
But Trump is not backing down. And at Quantico, the message was clear: there will be no more generals like Sherman, who dare to say “no.” At the beginning of the speech, Trump said ironically: “If you want to applaud, applaud. If you don’t like what I have to say, you can leave the room. Of course, along with that you will lose your rank and your future.”
A grim warning
This wasn't just a show of force. It was a test of loyalty. And to many observers, it was a clear sign that Trump is seeking to turn the military into an instrument of his political project.
If that happens, the dividing lines that protect American democracy from the militarization of politics could become dangerously blurred. And history has often shown that when the military begins to be used against its citizens, democracy is on the verge of collapse. / Adapted from “Pamphlet” by “CNN”
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