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By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speeches at a rare gathering of U.S. military leaders on Tuesday were met with sharp criticism from Democrats, praise from Republicans but a muted response so far from military officials themselves.
Speaking with hundreds of U.S. generals and admirals in a packed auditorium in Quantico, Virginia, Hegseth told commanders they should resign if they do not support his agenda. He also denounced “fat generals,” saying the troops should be in better physical shape while slamming diversity initiatives.
Hegseth has moved with stunning speed to reshape the department, firing top generals and admirals as he seeks to implement Trump’s national security agenda and root out diversity initiatives he calls discriminatory.
The U.S. military is supposed to be apolitical, loyal to the U.S. Constitution and independent of any party or political movement.
During his more than one-hour long speech which touched on everything from tariffs to nuclear weapons, Trump defended many of his policies and said the military should use deployments to U.S. cities as “training grounds for our military.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat whose name has been floated as a possible 2028 presidential contender, said the speech should terrify people.
“Declaring war on our nation’s cities and using our troops as political pawns is what dictators do. This man cares about nothing but his own ego and power,” Newsom posted on X.
Trump has announced plans to send National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, and has already sent Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles earlier this year, despite protests from local officials.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat whose state is expected to see National Guard troops, issued a sharp reaction.
“Our troops and our nation deserve better than you acting as a petty tyrant,” he said.
‘DERELICTION OF LEADERSHIP’
The top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed, slammed the speech as “an expensive, dangerous dereliction of leadership by the Trump Administration.”
It is unclear how much the event cost. It required military leaders to fly in from around the world before a potential government shutdown.
During the event, there were few visible reactions from the generals and admirals attending the event — who sat largely silent.
The senior U.S. military officials streamed out of the auditorium after Trump’s speech and many will rush back to their posts.
So far, there has been little in the way of reaction from the uniformed officials who attended.
But some Republican lawmakers had a positive view.
Republican Congressman August Pfluger said Hegseth’s speech was “inspiring” and encouraged every American to watch it.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime ally of Trump, said Trump had heaped well deserved praise on the military.
“It is a breath of fresh air to see a Commander in Chief expressing unending pride in our military and being strong without apology,” Graham said.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil StewartEditing by Nick Zieminski)
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