On June 10, Trump delivered a highly political speech to a crowd of soldiers in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
During the speech, Trump vented against California Governor Gavin Newsom, former President Joe Biden, and the news media. The soldiers that surrounded Trump cheered for him, laughed at his jokes, and booed at his enemies in a “rare public display of troops taking part in naked political partisanship.”
Military.com found out that these were not just any troops.
Internal 82nd Airborne Division communications reviewed by Military.com reveal a tightly orchestrated effort to curate the optics of Trump’s recent visit, including handpicking soldiers for the audience based on political leanings and physical appearance. The troops ultimately selected to be behind Trump and visible to the cameras were almost exclusively male.
One unit-level message bluntly said “no fat soldiers.”
“If soldiers have political views that are in opposition to the current administration and they don’t want to be in the audience then they need to speak with their leadership and get swapped out,” another note to troops said.
Military.com
It is unknown whether or not the troops that eagerly took part in Trump’s political speech will be disciplined, as they violated Pentagon rules. It also remains to be seen if the troops who refused to participate would be punished.
The content of Trump’s speech itself was aggressive and domineering. He vowed to “liberate Los Angeles” against “insurrectionists.”
A right-wing, pro-Trump pop-up store also emerged in Fort Bragg.
Soldiers were seen purchasing clothing and tchotchkes, including “Make America Great Again” chain necklaces to faux credit cards labeled “White Privilege Card: Trumps Everything.”
Military.com
This is yet another grave violation of Defense Department rules, which are meant to preserve the military’s political neutrality and America’s exemplary civil-military relations.
Military leadership has been silent as of the time of this writing.
While Trump has delivered politicized speeches to the military before, the violent partisan rhetoric proved to be an escalation of this behavior. The participation of the troops in this rhetoric demonstrates a breakdown of ethics and discipline that may spread throughout the military as an institution if not confronted.
