President Donald Trump recently floated a future plan for U.S. cities that experts in political science and constitutional law say is “very concerning.”
On Tuesday, Trump delivered a deeply politicized speech to senior military leaders at a gathering he hosted with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia. And his remarks included one particularly concerning message: The president suggested that certain U.S. cities be used as training grounds for the U.S. military.
While speaking about “defending the borders” of the U.S., Trump charged that “America is under invasion from within.” He then referenced his decision to send National Guard troops to the nation’s capital and other Democratic-led cities — purportedly to fight crime — before he slammed Democrats for “running most of the cities that are in bad shape.”
Trump then recalled a conversation he said he had with Hegseth, in which he told the defense secretary to “use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military.”
“Last month, I signed an executive order to provide training for a quick reaction force that can help quell civil disturbances,” he later continued. “So this is going to be a big thing for the people in this room, because it’s the enemy from within, and we have to handle it before it gets out of control.”
