Washington (AP) – President Donald Trump We quickly called for a meeting of top military leaders. Tuesday, White House officials said.
Hundreds of generals and admirals – senior commanders above the rank of one star and their top advisors – were summoned by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegzes at Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia.
White House officials were not authorized to discuss the president’s plans prior to the public presentation of attendance and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Talking about how well we’re doing military-wise, talking about what’s in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things,” Trump told NBC News in an interview on Sunday.
News about the meeting were broken on Thursday, and initially there was no reason for the extraordinary gathering. Trump appears to have never known about it when first asked by a reporter during an appearance in the Oval Office.
“If they want me, I’ll be there, why is that such a big deal?” Trump said.
Officials said the president’s participation was not part of the meeting’s original plan, but he decided he wanted to go.
Trump’s participation in the conference raises the possibility of a politicized event in front of a nonpartisan audience of military leaders. For example, he made campaign-style remarks on a uniformed personnel from Fort Bragg, North Carolina in June, attacking Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.
The Republican president has also expanded the use of military forces in American cities, claiming that Democratic leaders need to fight crime in places where public safety is not possible.
The National Guard continues patrols in the District of Columbia, with smaller deployments expected in Memphis, Tennessee. On Saturday, Trump said he would send troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect him from “domestic terrorists.”
Over objections from local and state authorities, Trump sent the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles to which there had previously been protests against the immigrant raid.
A top Pentagon spokesman confirmed earlier that Heggs “will address his senior military leader early next week.”
The entire army has 800 generals and admirals of all ranks. Many lead thousands of service members and are stationed around the world in over 12 countries and time zones.
The Washington Post was the first to report on Trump’s plans to attend the first meeting.
