On September 30, 2025, President Donald Trump delivered a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia that has set off a political firestorm and alarmed civil liberties advocates across the United States. Addressing nearly 800 generals, admirals, and senior enlisted advisors summoned from around the globe by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump signaled a dramatic escalation in his use of the U.S. military to address what he described as a “war from within.” His remarks, which included plans to deploy troops in Democratic-run cities and to use American urban centers as military “training grounds,” have drawn fierce criticism from lawmakers, legal experts, and civil rights organizations.
“The ones that are run by the radical left Democrats... what they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, they're very unsafe places. And we're going to straighten them out one by one. This is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room,” Trump told the assembled military leaders, according to reporting by TIME and Common Dreams. He likened the situation to a domestic war, stating, “That's a war too. It's a war from within.”
Trump’s speech was not just a rhetorical flourish. He announced the creation of military “quick reaction forces” intended to “help quell civil disturbances,” a move that directly challenges the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prohibits the use of the military in civilian law enforcement. “We are under invasion from within,” Trump said. “No different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways, because they don't wear uniforms.”
This is not the first time Trump has deployed federal forces to American cities during his second term. In recent months, he has sent troops to Portland, Oregon, authorizing “full force, if necessary,” and previously dispatched 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to suppress immigration protests—a deployment later ruled illegal by a federal judge. In August, the president federalized the Washington, D.C., police force, even as crime rates had been declining, and ordered National Guard and federal agencies to the city to “combat crime.”
Trump’s crackdown has been justified by his administration as a response to what it terms “left-wing terrorism,” particularly following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The administration has declared Antifa a terrorist organization and directed federal agencies to investigate and disrupt liberal philanthropic groups. Trump’s rhetoric has also included attacks on journalists, whom he labeled “vicious people” and “sleazebags” during his Quantico address. “Just like you have to fight vicious people, mine are a different kind of vicious,” he said, according to Common Dreams.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who convened the military leadership at Quantico, outlined new policies that align closely with Trump’s agenda. Hegseth called for a “highest male standard” for combatants, an end to “woke garbage,” and told generals that those who disagreed with the administration’s direction should resign. “Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the ‘Woke Department,’” Hegseth declared. He also announced a “full review” of bullying and hazing rules, arguing that the definitions had been “weaponized” to undermine commanders’ authority. “If that makes me toxic, so be it,” Hegseth added.
The speech and the administration’s actions have not gone unchallenged. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a former Army officer, called Trump’s remarks “divisive and corrosive.” Reed stated, “His reckless suggestion that American cities be used as ‘training grounds’ for U.S. troops is a dangerous assault on our democracy, treating our own communities as war zones and our citizens as enemies.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom echoed these concerns, writing on X, “This speech should terrify anyone who cares about our country. Declaring war on our nation’s cities and using our troops as political pawns is what dictators do. This man cares about nothing but his own ego and power.”
The American Civil Liberties Union, through Naureen Shah, director of government affairs at the Equality Division, warned, “Military troops must not police us, let alone be used as a tool to suppress the President’s critics. In cities across the country, the president’s federal deployments are already creating conflict where there is none and instilling profound fear in people who are simply trying to live their lives and exercise their constitutional rights. Our country and democracy deserve far better than this.”
Progressive coalitions such as the Not Above the Law Coalition, which includes Public Citizen, MoveOn, and Stand Up America, also condemned the president’s remarks. “This dangerous rhetoric delivered during an unprecedented gathering reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of our military's purpose and the people it serves,” the coalition’s co-chairs said. “Make no mistake: This isn't about public safety—it's about turning our own military into a force to be used against Trump’s perceived political opponents or anyone who questions his administration.”
Congressman Seth Moulton, a former Marine Corps combat veteran, wrote on social media, “US cities should never be 'training grounds' for the military. There is no 'enemy from within.' The reputational and operational damage being done to our military will take years to undo.” Legal experts have pointed out that Trump’s plans run afoul of the Posse Comitatus Act, which has long been a bulwark against the militarization of domestic law enforcement.
International observers have also expressed shock. José Antonio Salcedo, a professor at the University of Porto in Portugal, remarked, “In Trump’s speech today, Trump mentioned something very dangerous: using US cities (Democrat-run, I bet) as US troops training ground. This is definitely contrary to the US Constitution. It comes right out of the fascism playbook that Project 2025 and its fringe lunatic authors have been advocating and planning.”
Despite the uproar, Trump remained defiant throughout his speech. When he entered the room, the hundreds of command officers remained silent, adhering to the military tradition of not applauding political leaders. Trump quipped, “If you want to applaud, you can applaud. If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room—of course, there goes your rank and your future. You just feel nice and loose, okay, because we’re all on the same team.”
Trump also continued his pattern of lambasting political opponents, asserting, “Biden let people come in from prisons, mental institutions, drug dealers, murderers. They did not treat you with respect. They're Democrats, they never do,” and, “You'll never see four years like we had with Biden and a group of incompetent people that ran this country.”
As the debate rages on, the implications of Trump’s speech at Quantico are reverberating throughout the nation’s political and civic landscape. The event has become a lightning rod for discussions about the proper role of the military, the limits of presidential power, and the health of American democracy. With critics warning of a slide toward authoritarianism and supporters arguing for strong measures to restore order, the country stands at a crossroads, facing questions about its future that cannot be ignored.
