In a dark speech before hundreds of generals and admirals summoned from around the world, the Republican told them to prepare for a greater role in crackdowns on Democrat-run cities.
The assembled top brass were separately warned by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth of a different challenge, as he vowed to eliminate "fat generals" and to roll back what he called decades of decay.
"I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military," Trump said in front of a huge US flag at a military facility in Quantico, near Washington.
He added that "we're going to straighten them out one by one, and this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That's a war too -- it's a war from within."
Trump has sent troops to Los Angeles and Washington as part of what he calls a crackdown on crime and immigration. He has also ordered deployments to Memphis and Portland, which he described as a "war zone," and said Chicago would be next.
Each of those cities is run by a Democrat mayor, from Trump's rival political party.
The 79-year-old -- who traveled to make the speech as the US government hurtled towards a spending shutdown -- began by saying that under his administration the US military was now "reawakening the warrior spirit."
But his 72-minute address then took on an even more overtly political tone, in a break with previous presidents who have tended to avoid domestic politics when addressing troops.
- 'Fat generals' -
Former Fox News host-turned Defense Secretary Hegseth summoned the highly unusual meeting last week. Trump then announced that he would also speak.
Speculation had swirled about the purpose of gathering the whole US top brass in one place, with talk of a major military announcement.
But in the end it was largely a doubling down on restoring what Iraq war veteran Hegseth called the "military ethos."
Striding the stage, Hegseth told all ranks they must now take a physical fitness test twice a year. "It's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon," he said.
Hegseth also insisted on "grooming standards" including short hair and shaving, adding: "If you want a beard you can join special forces. If not, then shave. We don't have a military full of Nordic pagans."
He declared an end to "ideological garbage," citing concerns over climate change, bullying, "toxic" leaders and promotions based on race or gender as examples.
The speeches by Trump and Hegseth came as the US military faces controversy both at home, amid the deployments to key cities, and abroad.
- 'American muscle' -
Internationally, Trump has ordered lethal strikes on small, alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, despite questions over the legality of the attacks.
He also ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran-backed Yemeni rebels.
In a sometimes rambling speech, the US president said he was "discovering American muscle" and that the country had the "strongest military anywhere in the world."
Trump has overseen a rare purge of senior officers after taking office.
In May, Hegseth ordered major cuts to the number of general and flag officers in the US military, including at least a 20 percent reduction in the number of active-duty four-star generals and admirals.
Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has also purged top officers, including chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff general Charles "CQ" Brown, whom he fired without explanation in February.
Other senior officers dismissed this year include the heads of the Navy and Coast Guard, the leaders of the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, a Navy admiral assigned to NATO, and three top military lawyers.
Hegseth defended the firings on Tuesday, saying: "it's nearly impossible to change a culture with the same people who helped create -- or even benefited from -- that culture."
Trump authorizes 'full force' troop deployment in Portland
Washington (AFP) Sept 27, 2025 -
President Donald Trump on Saturday authorized the deployment of troops in the northwestern US city of Portland, extending his contentious domestic use of the military to support a mass immigration crackdown.
A deployment in Portland -- Oregon's largest city -- would follow similar moves by the Republican president to mobilize troops against the wishes of local Democratic leadership in Los Angeles and Washington DC.
It also comes as Trump launches an assault against left-wing activists in the wake of several deadly attacks, which the president and his allies claim are evidence of a "domestic terrorist" network.
"At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is the main agency carrying out Trump's contentious mass deportation drive.
It was not clear if Trump was authorizing the use of troops at ICE facilities nationwide or just in Portland, where protests have been ongoing for months.
The president added he was "also authorizing Full Force, if necessary," without elaborating.
Protesters in Portland and other cities have intermittently blocked entrances to ICE facilities in recent weeks, prompting some clashes as agents try to clear the area.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department stood "ready to mobilize US military personnel" to support ICE, without further details.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said Saturday she spoke with Trump, who "did not give me any details or specify any time" about the deployment of the troops.
"There is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security, and there is no need for military troops in our own major city," she told reporters.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called the deployment "unwanted, unneeded and un-American."
"The number of necessary troops is zero in Portland and any other American city," he added.
- 'Terrorist' threat -
Officials in Portland are wary of a repeat of summer 2020, during Trump's first term, when the city saw a surge of violent clashes amid racial justice protests following the police killing of unarmed Black man George Floyd.
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden called Trump's move an "authoritarian takeover of Portland hoping to provoke conflict."
"I urge Oregonians to reject Trump's attempt to incite violence," the Democrat posted on X.
Trump first deployed troops in Los Angeles in June, overriding the state's Democratic governor and prompting an ongoing legal dispute over the limits of presidential authority.
That was followed by a surge of troops and federal agents to the US capital, and threats to go into other major cities, including Chicago.
The Portland announcement comes days after a deadly shooting at an ICE facility in Texas, in which one detainee was killed and two severely injured.
Federal officials say the gunman, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot, had sought to target ICE agents from a nearby rooftop.
Weeks earlier, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a university campus.
Following Kirk's assassination, Trump announced that he was labeling the diffuse left-wing "Antifa" movement as a "domestic terrorist group."
The designation has led to worries among Trump's critics that it could be used to broadly suppress dissent in the name of national security.
On Thursday, Trump signed an order directing the FBI to investigate and disrupt "organized political violence," while telling reporters that billionaire George Soros -- a frequent target of right-wing conspiracy theories -- would be an example of someone who should be probed.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has meanwhile ordered federal Justice Department agents to ICE facilities around the country.
"If you so much as touch one of our federal officers, you will go to prison," she said Saturday on X.
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