Time.com: President Donald Trump will speak at a rare meeting of top generals called by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for Tuesday, adding a political dimension to the event at a time when he is facing criticism for making unprecedented use of the U.S. military for domestic purposes.
Hegseth summoned hundreds of generals and admirals with little notice from around the world for the gathering at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, this week, causing alarm in the ranks.
Trump appeared to have been taken by surprise by the gathering when asked about it on Thursday by reporters in the Oval Office, when news of it first broke. But he spoke of it approvingly, nonetheless.
“Let him be friendly with the generals and admirals from all over the world,” Trump said of the meeting. “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?”
The former Fox News contributor has been outspoken about his intention to reshape the U.S. military by cutting costs and focusing on what he characterizes as “lethality.” In previous speeches, he has expressed his desire for the military to “leave wokeness and weakness behind.”