President Donald Trump told a gathering of military leaders called together by War Secretary Pete Hegseth in Virginia on Tuesday that his support for them would never waver, pledging to strengthen U.S. forces and deter nuclear threats from adversaries.
“My message to you is very simple,” Trump said. “I am with you, I support you. And as president, I have your backs 100%. You’ll never see me even waver a little bit. That’s the way it is.
“And that includes our great police officers and firemen and all of these people that are doing so well together.”
Trump vowed to build up the armed forces in the years ahead.
“We’re going to make our military stronger, tougher, faster, fiercer, and more powerful than it has ever been before,” he said, pointing to upgrades to the nuclear arsenal. “We have to hope we never have to use it, because the power of that is so incredible. … When you see the result of what’s left, you never want to use that. Never, never, ever.”
The president said U.S. submarines remain the most advanced in the world, claiming the nation is “25 years ahead of Russia and China” in stealth technology.
He described moving nuclear-armed submarines closer to Russia after hearing references to nuclear weapons from Moscow.
“I moved a submarine or two over to the coast of Russia, just to be careful, because we can’t let people throw around that word. I call it the ‘N’ word,” Trump said.
Trump praised new enlistments as reaching “record highs” and said the spirit of the armed forces was at “unprecedented heights.”
Trump added that “everybody wants to be in the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines … the Coast Guard and Space Force,” noting that all branches are meeting or exceeding recruitment targets.
He contrasted this moment with two years ago, when reports highlighted shortages across the services. According to Trump, the turnaround means the military can now be more selective, applying higher standards based on merit.
He singled out Maj. Gen. John Daniel “Dan” Caine, known by his call sign “Razin,” for eliminating the ISIS caliphate in four weeks — a campaign military officials had once said could take years. Trump credited Caine with “knocking out 100% of the ISIS caliphate” and said the operation exemplified the renewed fighting spirit of the armed forces.
In the Western Hemisphere, Trump highlighted his decision to designate cartels as terrorist organizations, saying it gave U.S. forces new tools to target traffickers and deter maritime smuggling.
He also said NATO members, spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have increased defense spending commitments from 2% to 5% of GDP.
“We’re now selling large quantities of American-made weapons to NATO, and we’re getting really fair pricing,” Trump said, calling the arrangement a way to strengthen alliances while ensuring the U.S. defense industry stays strong.
He said upcoming reforms will speed up foreign military sales and address production bottlenecks for fighter jets, ships, and ammunition.
Trump stressed that America’s global posture is about deterrence.
“We have the strongest military anywhere in the world,” he said, adding that U.S. missile defenses and advanced weapons are unmatched.
He described the armed forces as heirs to a legacy stretching from Washington and Jackson to Eisenhower and Patton, and said their spirit — not just resources — ensures America’s edge.
“With leaders like we have right here in this beautiful room today,” Trump told the gathering, “we will vanquish every danger and crush every threat to our freedom in every generation to come. Because we will fight, fight, fight and we will win, win, win.”
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