President Donald Trump on Tuesday escalated his rhetoric against Democratic-led cities, telling top U.S. military generals that America is facing a domestic threat and suggesting that troubled urban areas be used as training grounds for federal troops.
“We’re under invasion from within,” Trump said during a meeting with high-ranking military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico. “It’s a war from within.”
The president’s remarks, delivered behind closed doors but confirmed by sources and later reported by the White House press pool, outlined a controversial vision of expanding military presence within U.S. borders to combat what he described as lawlessness in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Portland.
Trump reportedly proposed using National Guard units in what he called “dangerous cities” to “straighten them out, one by one.” He said the domestic unrest and rising crime in Democratic-run urban centers could serve as “training grounds” for military personnel.
Over the weekend, Trump ordered federal troops to Portland, Oregon, citing the need to counter what he labeled as domestic terrorist threats. However, both Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, both Democrats, publicly opposed the deployment and said they had not requested federal assistance.
Trump recounted a recent phone call with Gov. Kotek, claiming he told her the city was in chaos: “You don’t have it under control, governor… this place is a nightmare,” he said, drawing on his long-running criticism of blue-state leadership.
During the event, which also featured commentary from conservative TV personality Pete Hegseth, Trump echoed calls to eliminate what he and others have described as “woke culture” from military institutions.
Despite the fiery rhetoric, the reception from military brass appeared subdued. Trump noted the unusually quiet room as he spoke, joking: “I’ve never walked into a room so silent before.”
He went on to encourage attendees to feel at ease—albeit with a hint of sarcasm: “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. Of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future,” he quipped.
Although some members of the crowd chuckled and a few offered polite applause by the end of the speech, many top military officials remained largely unresponsive throughout.
The remarks mark a notable moment in Trump’s broader push to position himself as a law-and-order president while also testing the limits of military engagement on domestic soil—a move critics say blurs constitutional boundaries and politicizes the armed forces.
White House officials declined to comment further on the speech, while Pentagon representatives emphasized the military’s continued commitment to upholding the Constitution and remaining apolitical.
