Trump to Attend Gathering of Top Generals, Raising Security and Political Concerns

President Donald Trump — will attend a last-minute assembly of hundreds of the nation’s top generals at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, a decision that adds new security challenges and heightens the political stakes of an already unusual military event.

The gathering, ordered last week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was initially intended as a brief address to senior military leaders on standards and a “warrior ethos.” The sudden addition of the president—confirmed in a White House memo Saturday—has transformed the meeting into a high-profile event overseen by the Secret Service.

In an interview with NBC News, Trump described the visit as a “very nice meeting” focused on military readiness and morale. “It’s just an ‘esprit de corps,’” he said, emphasizing a positive, motivational tone.

The announcement caught senior Pentagon officials by surprise, as Hegseth’s initial orders provided no explanation for the gathering. Some attendees reportedly feared the assembly could precede mass firings or demotions. The event requires significant logistical coordination, with generals and admirals traveling from locations including Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific, and is expected to cost millions in transportation, lodging, and other expenses.

Military law experts expressed concern that the president’s attendance could politicize the event. Eugene R. Fidell, a lecturer at Yale Law School, called it “the mother of all photo ops” and warned that the gathering raises broader issues about the politicization of the U.S. military.

Hegseth has recently proposed a 20 percent reduction in the general officer corps and has fired roughly two dozen senior officers—disproportionately female generals—since taking office. Officials familiar with the planning said Hegseth is also considering lowering the ranks of top commanding generals and consolidating combatant commands, part of a broader shift in the administration’s national defense strategy toward homeland defense and domestic military operations.

The president’s visit comes amid heightened domestic enforcement initiatives. On Saturday, Trump called on federal authorities to deploy troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, a move that drew objections from Oregon Governor Tina Kotek. The order followed Trump’s recent executive order expanding federal authority to combat “domestic terrorism and organized political violence,” a directive granting sweeping investigatory and prosecutorial powers.

As the military prepares for the assembly Tuesday morning at Marine Corps University, officials face the complex task of balancing security, logistics, and the potential political ramifications of the president’s attendance.