President Donald Trump has triggered fresh outrage after declaring his plan to use American cities as “training grounds” for the military.
Speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Trump stood before hundreds of senior generals, admirals, and defence chiefs. He claimed urban unrest was the “enemy from within.”
He praised recent deployments of the National Guard in Washington DC, Los Angeles, and Portland. “It won’t get out of control once you’re involved,” he told the officers.
Trump singled out Democratic-led cities such as San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. He branded them “very unsafe places” and vowed to “straighten out one by one.”
He linked urban disorder to immigration enforcement and border security, calling it “a war from within.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned him sharply. “Our troops and our nation deserve better than you acting as a petty tyrant,” he wrote on X.
Pentagon’s Cultural Shift
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also used the gathering to announce sweeping changes. He declared the Pentagon would end what he called “woke culture.”
He said all combatants must now meet “the highest male standard” in fitness tests, a move likely to exclude some women. “Standards must be uniform, gender-neutral, and high,” he insisted.
Hegseth also promised to ban beard exemptions, anonymous complaints, and diversity programmes. He claimed these reforms would restore a tougher “warrior ethos.”
But critics said the changes could backfire. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a military veteran, warned: “I don’t know folks who want to serve in a military that’s being used for political theatre.”
The proposals have triggered alarm across Democratic states. Some accuse Trump of plotting to militarise domestic politics and suppress opposition strongholds.
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