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President Donald Trump will join War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s meeting of senior military leaders on Tuesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico, according to planning documents reviewed by The Washington Post.
“We have confirmation from the White House that POTUS is now attending the speech on Tuesday,” the notice stated. The Pentagon was alerted due to heightened security measures required for the president’s presence, the report said.
Hundreds of generals, admirals and senior enlisted leaders from around the globe, all holding at least a one-star rank, have been directed to attend. The meeting is expected to focus on “warrior ethos” and military standards, with Trump’s attendance shifting security responsibilities to the Secret Service.
“I’ll be there if they want me, but why is that such a big deal?” Trump said in the Oval Office this week, addressing questions about the unusual scope of the gathering.
“The fact that we’re getting along with the generals and admirals? Remember, I’m the president of peace. It’s good to get along. 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?” he added.
The White House has not issued a public comment on Trump’s plans. The large-scale meeting, described by officials as unprecedented, caught many senior military leaders by surprise, the Post reported Thursday.
Trump has recently urged NATO allies to take a more aggressive role in Ukraine’s defense. He suggested that the U.S. would provide weapons to NATO member states, which would then deliver them to Ukraine, rather than drawing directly from U.S. stockpiles.
The proposal signals a shift from Trump’s earlier position of limited involvement and represents what aides describe as a recalibration of Washington’s role in the conflict.
His remarks came during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, one day after newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz pledged at his first Security Council meeting that the United States would remain firm in helping defend “every inch” of NATO territory.