WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will speak at a hastily called meeting of top military leaders on Tuesday, according to a White House official.
Hundreds of generals and admirals — senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers — have been summoned by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from all over the world to the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, with little notice.
The White House official was not authorized to discuss the president's plans before a public announcement about his attendance and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump told NBC News in an interview Sunday that they would be “talking about how well we're doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things.”
News about the meeting broke Thursday, and no reason was initially provided for the unusual gathering. Trump didn’t seem to know about it when first asked by reporters during an Oval Office appearance.
“I'll be there if they want me, but why is it such a big deal?” Trump said.
The official said the president's participation was not part of the original plan for the meeting but that he decided that he wanted to go.
Trump's participation in the meeting raises the likelihood of a politicized event in front of a nonpartisan audience of military leaders. For example, he delivered campaign-style remarks to uniformed personnel at Fort Bragg in North Carolina in June, attacking his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.
The Republican president is also expanding his use of the military in American cities, arguing that it’s necessary to fight crime in places where Democratic leaders are failing to ensure public safety.
The National Guard continues to patrol in the District of Columbia, and a smaller deployment is expected in Memphis, Tennessee. On Saturday, Trump said he would also send troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect against “domestic terrorists.”
Over the objections of local and state officials, Trump previously sent the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles, where there were protests against immigration raids.
The Pentagon’s top spokesman has previously confirmed that Hegseth “will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.”
Across the military, there are 800 generals and admirals of all ranks. Many command thousands of service members and are stationed across the world in more than a dozen countries and time zones.
The Washington Post first reported on Trump's plans to attend the upcoming meeting.