Trump plans to attend gathering of US military officers

President Donald Trump plans to attend an unusual gathering of U.S. generals and admirals at a military base in Virginia on Tuesday, an event coming at a moment when Trump has pushed for a new kind of war-fighter culture at the Pentagon.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump planned to give a formal address to the hundreds of military leaders from around the world at the base at Quantico, Virginia, or whether his remarks would be made public. The Washington Post reported earlier on the president’s attendance.

But for Trump, who has long favored images of himself surrounded by military leaders, such a setting may prove irresistible.

“It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things.” Trump told NBC News in a phone call Sunday. “It’s just a good message.

“We have some great people coming in and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps,’” Trump said. “You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’? That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing and how we’re doing.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who summoned the generals and admirals, is expected to speak about grooming and fitness requirements, and other aspects of what he calls a shift toward a “warrior ethos” at the Pentagon.

Trump appeared unfamiliar with the meeting when he was asked about it during an Oval Office appearance Thursday, but he quickly said it was good that Hegseth had organized it.

“Let him be friendly with the generals and admirals from all over the world,” Trump said. “You act like this is a bad thing. Isn’t it nice that people are coming from all over the world to be with us?”

Few details about the event have been disclosed, not even to the officers expected to attend. The secrecy has sparked alarm at a time when Trump is accelerating military action against drug trafficking boats that he says are coming from Venezuela, as well as deploying the National Guard in Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee, for law-enforcement purposes and using troops to guard federal facilities.

Military specialists have voiced increasing alarm over Trump’s tendency to treat the military as an arm of politics. Speaking to troops at military bases, the president often uses the occasion to bash his political rivals, liberals and the news media.

During a speech at Fort Bragg in June, Trump led troops to boo journalists and former President Joe Biden.

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