Trump and Hegseth's plan for a MAGA military reset, told in 11 quotes
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth introduces President Trump at a gathering of senior military officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Sept. 30. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a rare gathering of the country's highest-ranking military officials to outline their vision for a cultural and operational military reset on Tuesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico.
Why it matters: That reset, which Trump's team has been laying the groundwork for since before he took office, included making the military culture "MAGA-friendly."
During speeches, Trump used crime as a pretext to deploy troops to Democratic-led cities. Hegseth, meanwhile, said he wants the U.S. military free of its "woke" shackles.
Here are direct quotes from their Quantico speeches.
Trump told military leaders that troops should use "dangerous" American cities as "training grounds." He floated the idea of using the D.C. playbook for Chicago and Portland.
- "Last month, I signed an executive order to provide training for quick reaction force that can help quell civil disturbances. This is gonna be a big thing for the people in this room, because it's the enemy from within and we have to handle it before it gets out of control," the president said.
- "I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military. National Guard, but our military. Because we're going into Chicago very soon. That's a big city with an incompetent governor. Stupid governor," Trump explained.
- "America is under invasion from within. We're under invasion from within. No different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways because they don't wear uniforms. At least when they're wearing a uniform, you can take them out," Trump said.
- On Gaza plan: "We're gonna create something that was my idea but unfortunately I got drafted. It's gonna be called the 'board of peace.' And it's gonna reign over that territory. They asked me if I'd be the chairman of the board of peace. I said yes."
- Hegseth on military leaders: "The new compass heading is clear. Out with the Chiarellis, the McKenzies and the Milleys, and in with the Stockdales, the Schwarzkopfs and the Pattons."
- "No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses," the Defense secretary said. "No more climate change worship, no more division, distraction, or gender delusions."
- "No more distractions, no more political ideologies, no more debris."
- "If you want a beard, you can join special forces. If not, then shave. We don't have a military full of Nordic pagans," Hegseth said.
- "Frankly, it's tiring to look out at combat formations or really any formation and see fat troops. Likewise, it's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon," Hegseth added.
- "You love the War Department because you love what you do, the profession of arms. You are hereby liberated to be an apolitical, hard-charging, no nonsense, constitutional leader that you joined the military to be," he said to military leaders.
- "To our enemies, F-A-F-O," he said (likely a reference to "f--k around and find out"). "If necessary, our troops can translate that for you."
Go deeper: What to know about Trump's Quantico meeting with top U.S. military officers
