Reed Warns Trump’s Politicization of the Military Breaks 250 Years of Tradition

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered a floor speech condemning President Trump's efforts to politicize the U.S. military and turn it into a partisan instrument. Reed warned that Trump's actions-including holding campaign-style rallies on military bases, firing senior officers for political reasons, and deploying troops into American cities-undermine 250 years of apolitical military tradition and threaten civilian control of the Armed Forces.

Senator Reed called on Congress to take immediate, bipartisan action to safeguard the Constitution's balance of powers, codify prohibitions on political activity at military installations, and ensure that the U.S. military remains loyal only to the Constitution-not to any individual or party.

A video of Senator Reed's remarks may be viewed here.

A transcript of Senator Reed's floor speech follows:

Drawing the Line: Congress Must Protect America's Apolitical Military

U.S. Senator Jack Reed

Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

REED: Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a matter that transcends party lines and goes to the very heart of what makes America's military the most trusted institution in our country.

I speak from a lifetime of devotion to the Army and our Armed Services. I joined the Army at seventeen when I took the oath to defend and protect the Constitution as a New Cadet at West Point. I served twelve years on Active Duty. I earned my Ranger Tab and my Senior Jump Wings. I had the privilege of commanding an Infantry Company in the 82nd Airborne Division. I taught at West Point. But, I want to make clear that I am not a combat veteran. I have spent nearly three decades on the Senate Armed Services Committee, with the great privilege of serving as both Ranking Member and Chairman.

My connection to the military is neither transient nor incidental. That is precisely why I must speak out today about what President Trump is doing to our Armed Forces. He is attempting to politicize an institution that has remained steadfastly apolitical for nearly 250 years. He is disrespecting the professionalism and sacrifice of our servicemembers. And if we in Congress do not reject his actions -and soon-the damage could take generations to repair.

America's Apolitical Military Tradition

America's apolitical military was constructed deliberately by leaders who understood that republics die when generals and soldiers become political pawns.

George Washington set the standard. When he resigned his commission in 1783, he established the principle that military leaders serve the nation, not a party or president. He made clear that military leadership is not a pathway to personal political power. Washington could have made himself king. He refused, and in that refusal, created the tradition we inherit today.

The Founders enshrined a non-political military in our Constitution, giving Congress-not the President-the sole power to raise armies, establish laws governing the military, and, importantly, to declare war. The Founders built checks and balances precisely to prevent the situation we now face: a President who views the military as his personal political instrument.

This tradition is maintained in the United States through deliberate policy. The Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibits active-duty personnel from partisan political activities. Military bases do not host campaign rallies. Servicemembers do not appear in uniform at political events.

The Supreme Court itself has affirmed this principle. In Greer v. Spock (1976), the Court upheld military regulations strictly prohibiting partisan political activity on military bases. The Court's conclusion was unequivocal. The majority opinion explained that the military has a special responsibility to avoid "both the reality and the appearance of acting as handmaiden for partisan political causes or candidates."

Justice Powell also warned that, quote, "It is the lesson of ancient and modern history that the major socially destabilizing influence in many European and South American countries has been a highly politicized military. . . . Complete and effective civilian control [of the military] would be compromised by participation of the military in the political process."

The Supreme Court understood what we must remember: once the military appears political, civilian control itself is compromised. Public confidence evaporates. And history shows us where that leads.

These are not bureaucratic niceties. Once the military becomes politicized, it loses the trust of the American people. A military seen as serving one party cannot claim to serve the nation. For nearly 250 years, this principle has held. The American military has remained the most trusted institution precisely because it has stayed out of politics.

Trump's Politicization of the Military

President Trump is systematically dismantling this bedrock principle-brazenly, repeatedly, and with apparent pride.

On May 24^th, he addressed West Point's graduating class while wearing a red MAGA hat-a political campaign symbol at a military ceremony. This was not an accident. It was a statement. He told our nation's future Army officers that his election victory gave him the right to, quote, "do what we wanna do." He told cadets about to take their oath to the Constitution that winning an election means you can do whatever you want.

In June, at an event at Fort Bragg, President Trump made this politicization even more explicit. Soldiers attending the event were apparently screened for physical appearance and enthusiasm, and were positioned in the bleachers as background props for what Trump boasted was a political rally. The troops were encouraged to boo his opponents, cheer his applause lines, and jeer the press.

Almost as disturbing, President Trump's team brought vendors onto Fort Bragg to sell campaign merchandise to soldiers in uniform. This was an explicit violation of longstanding Army regulations and Department of Defense policies. It exploited soldiers and the prestige of their service for the President's partisan and personal gain.

And again, just last month at Quantico, Trump spoke to a hall of hundreds of generals and admirals to make explicit what had previously been unspoken. He complained about, quote, "an enemy within," and told the assembled officers that dealing with this domestic enemy "is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That's a war, too. It's a war from within."

Let us be clear about who Trump means when he says "the enemy within." He does not mean terrorists or foreign agents. He means his political opponents. He means Americans exercising their Constitutional rights to disagree with him.

Indeed, any doubt about who he considers "the enemy within" was erased when he pardoned more than 1,500 people convicted of attacking Congress and Capitol Police on January 6^th, 2021. These are people who attacked the Capitol - at President Trump's urging - who savagely beat police officers, who forced members of Congress to flee the chamber for their own lives. The vast majority of my colleagues were there that day and know exactly what they saw.

These criminals, who supported President Trump, were rewarded with pardons, while those who he believes are opposed to him are being targeted for retribution.

This is not a theoretical concern. The President went further in his remarks at Quantico, suggesting that he wants to use "some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military." He proposed to deploy American troops in American cities to train for operations against American citizens-all without the consent of state and local leaders, and in apparent violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. Already, we have seen him order such deployments in Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Portland, and elsewhere.

The pattern is unmistakable. Trump is attempting to transform the military from an apolitical institution that serves the Constitution into a political tool that serves him. He stages political rallies on military bases. He sells campaign merchandise to troops in uniform. He fires generals who give him professional military advice he doesn't like. He tells military leaders that their mission includes waging war on his domestic political opponents.

This is not normal. This is not acceptable. And if my Republican colleagues don't publicly reject this behavior, the President will fundamentally alter the character of American civil-military relations.

Trump's Disrespect Toward the Military

Beyond politicization, President Trump has shown consistent disrespect for the military's leaders and values.

At his West Point graduation speech, he claimed he defeated ISIS "in three weeks." There's just one problem: it's not true. General Caine himself has refuted the story that President Trump repeatedly tells about that campaign - that he defeated ISIS. In fact, according to the 2025 Intelligence Community Threat Assessment - which was prepared by the Trump Administration itself - ISIS "remains the world's largest Islamic terrorist organization." The President stood before America's future military leaders and lied to inflate his ego and his reputation.

Trump also told West Point graduates, quote, "we do not need an officer corps of yes-men." Yet, he fired General Kruse, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, because the DIA's expert analysts contradicted Trump's claims about his military strikes on Iran. He has fired General CQ Brown, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, General Timothy Haugh, and many others in a purge of flag officers that appears motivated by race, gender, and political loyalty rather than merit. The message is clear: give the President the advice he wants to hear, or lose your job.

President Trump disrespects not just military leaders, but also military customs and traditions. At the West Point graduation, he left before the diplomas were presented. He declined the opportunity to present the first and last cadets their diplomas-a tradition honored by Presidents before him. He couldn't be bothered to fully participate in a ceremony that meant everything to those young officers and their families.

And earlier this month at Norfolk, at the Navy's 250th anniversary celebration, Trump dispensed with any pretense. He declared, quote, "Let's face it, this is a rally." He closed the ceremony by dancing to his campaign song, "Y.M.C.A." by the Village People. The Navy's 250th anniversary became about Trump, not about the history of blood and sacrifice of sailors and the service they represent.

To my Republican colleagues who have served in uniform: you understand what service requires. Honesty. Humility. Respect for those who came before you. You know that officers must give their best professional advice, even when it's not what the Commander-in-Chief wants to hear. You know that when officers fear giving honest answers, people die. Missions fail. Wars are lost.

So when the President lies about military operations, he disrespects every soldier who has told the truth about the battlefield. When he fires officers for honest advice, he disrespects every officer who has had the courage to speak truth to power. When he turns military ceremonies into political rallies, he disrespects every servicemember who has kept politics out of their professional life.

You know this. The question is what you will do about it.

Congress Must Act

We are at a crossroads. The damage Trump is inflicting is not theoretical. It is happening now, and if we don't act, it will accelerate.

America's civil-military relationship took 250 years to build, but it can be destroyed in a fraction of that time. Once the military is seen as a partisan instrument serving one party, once it is deployed domestically against political opponents, the trust that sustains it will evaporate. And that trust, once lost, can take generations to rebuild.

Consider the dangers if this continues. Will military officers refuse to serve under future administrations, depending on the party in power? Will they resist civilian authority over policy disagreements? Will the military fracture along partisan lines?

Consider what happens if Trump continues to deploy the National Guard against his political opponents. What happens when citizens see soldiers in their streets to suppress Constitutionally permitted dissent? What happens to recruiting when young Americans view the military as a partisan tool? What happens to military cohesion when soldiers treat fellow citizens as enemies?

These are not hypothetical questions. President Trump told our most senior military leaders that fighting the "enemy within" is their mission. He suggested using American cities as training grounds. The precedent he sets will outlast his administration and be available to every president after.

Congress has the Constitutional authority and moral obligation to stop this. We are not powerless. We control the purse. We have oversight authority. We can pass legislation. And we must act now.

After nine months of this presidency, it is clear that my Republican colleagues must do more than recognize the problem-they must act. Republicans must work with us to call out the President and take concrete legislative action.

First, we must codify prohibitions on political activities at military installations and block federal funds from supporting such activities. No more campaign rallies on military bases. No more merchandise sales to troops in uniform.

Second, we must pass legislation-already in the Senate NDAA-to require explanations and notifications for senior general and flag officer dismissals. If these decisions are based on merit, the administration should have no problem explaining them publicly.

Third, we must strengthen the Hatch Act as it applies to political leaders interacting with military personnel. The rules that constrain servicemembers from politics must also constrain politicians from exploiting servicemembers for political purposes.

And fourth, we must establish clear standards requiring congressional approval for domestic military deployments except in genuine emergencies. The Founders gave Congress the power over the military for exactly this reason-to prevent any president from deploying troops as a personal force.

I recognize the political pressures that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle face. But we all took the same oath-either in uniform or in elected office-to support and defend the Constitution, not a President or party. The American military is trusted by the American people because it has earned that trust by remaining apolitical, professional, and devoted to defending the Constitution.

Conclusion

Mr. President, I'll close with this. Yesterday in Japan, President Trump boarded an aircraft carrier to address American sailors and Marines. For a full hour, standing before hundreds of young men and women deployed thousands of miles from home, the Commander-in-Chief lectured them on his political grievances. He complained the 2020 election was stolen. He mocked reporters. He whined about the Nobel Peace Prize. He boasted about deploying the National Guard domestically. He invented false stories about President Biden and jeered him. The sailors and Marines, for their part, remained silent and respectful, like the professionals they are.

But the name of that aircraft carrier is worth noting: the USS George Washington.

How fitting that our first president set the standard for the military we inherit today, and how shameful that President Trump so badly fails that standard. Washington recognized that the presidency and the military are grander than any one person-and he recognized the danger of any man who believes otherwise. As he warned in his Farewell Address: "Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism."

In President Trump, I fear that Washington's warning has come to bear. Simply put, President Trump is politicizing the military for his benefit. He is disrespecting our servicemembers. And he is setting precedents that will haunt us for generations.

Every day that passes, every political rally on a military base, every firing of an officer for honest advice, every statement about deploying troops against domestic opponents-each inflicts damage that becomes harder to repair.

To my Republican colleagues: this is your moment. You can help defend the military you cherish. You can exercise your constitutional authority as the majority power. Or you can stand by and concede to an executive who recognizes no limits. I suspect history will not forgive this body for remaining silent while the President transforms the military into his personal political tool.

The military I served in deserves better. The country we all swore to defend deserves better. And the young men and women taking the oath today deserve the apolitical, professional military our Founders fought and died to establish.

Let us reassert Congress's power and preserve the military tradition we inherited.

Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet