President Donald Trump spoke to hundreds of senior military leaders at Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia on Tuesday, assuring them, “We’re all on the same team.”
Following remarks by Pete Hegseth — who leads the recently rebranded Department of War (still formally known as the Department of Defense) — Trump opened his address with a teasing warning.
“I never walked into a room so silent before,” he said. “If you want to applaud, you applaud. You can do anything you want.”
He continued, “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. But, there goes your rank and there goes your future.”
The remarks drew nervous laughter from the audience, though Trump had made similar comments earlier that morning to reporters before boarding Marine One.
“I’m going to be meeting with generals and admirals and with leaders,” he said of the Quantico gathering. “And if I don’t like somebody, I’m gonna fire them right on the spot.”
Retired Army lieutenant general Mark Hertling, a former appointee of President Barack Obama, responded to Trump and Hegseth’s remarks on X, writing, “Once again I’m reminded, trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets.”
During his speech, Trump also highlighted his own accomplishments, including his recent plan to resolve the conflict in the Gaza Strip, which he announced on Monday. The terms have been accepted by Israel and endorsed by eight Muslim-majority nations, though Hamas has not yet agreed.
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“If this [Gaza] works out, we’ll have eight [wars resolved] — eight in eight months. That’s pretty good. Nobody’s ever done that,” Trump said.
“Will you get the Nobel Prize? Absolutely not,” he continued. “They’ll give it to some guy that didn’t do a damn thing. They’ll give it to a guy that wrote a book about the mind of Donald Trump. We’ll see what happens, but it would be a big insult to our country. I will tell you that. I don’t want it. I want the country to get it.”
Trump also praised his Washington, D.C. police takeover and the recent rebranding of the Department of Defense as the Department of War.
“I love the name,” he said. “I think it is so great, and I think it stops wars. The Department of War will stop wars.”
Trump launched the campaign to rename the Department of Defense with a Sept. 5 executive order titled “Restoring the United States Department of War.”
The Department of War was originally established in 1789 under President George Washington to oversee the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. In 1947, the National Security Act merged the Navy and War departments and the Air Force into the National Military Establishment, which became the Department of Defense in 1949.
While Trump has directed the name and title changes, officially renaming the department will require congressional approval, as executive orders cannot override federal law. The creation of executive departments remains the responsibility of Congress.
News of the massive military meeting was announced last week when Hegseth summoned senior leaders without disclosing the purpose in advance.
On Sunday, Sept. 28, Trump downplayed the need for the in-person gathering, noting that military updates are typically communicated via memo or secure teleconference.
“It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message,” he said. “We have some great people coming in and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps.’ You know the expression ‘esprit de corps?’ That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and how we’re doing.”
Earlier, he praised Hegseth’s plans for the gathering.
“Let him be friendly with the generals and admirals from all over the world,” Trump said. “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?”
