President Donald Trump dances at the conclusion of his Make America Great Again rally at ST Engineering in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020.
Fort Bragg, North Carolina – In a fiery address meant to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, President Donald Trump turned a military celebration into a sharply political moment, denouncing protesters in Los Angeles as “animals” and “a foreign enemy” while vowing to “liberate” the city through military intervention.
The speech, delivered Tuesday at Fort Bragg before a crowd of service members, veterans, and their families, marked one of the president’s most combative public responses yet to the ongoing protests sparked by his renewed immigration raids and aggressive border enforcement policies. The demonstrations, which included a blockade of a major Los Angeles freeway and scattered property damage, have otherwise remained largely confined to a few blocks of downtown in the sprawling city of four million.
“We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That’s what they are,” Trump declared, suggesting that the unrest merited a military-style response. His remarks came as he again floated the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act—a rarely used and controversial presidential power that allows domestic deployment of U.S. military forces to quash civil unrest.
Despite some applause and laughter from the audience—particularly when the president danced to “YMCA,” a staple at his rallies—others appeared uneasy with the tone and content of the speech. “I thought that was better left for a press conference than what we were celebrating today,” said Robin Boothe, a base employee and Trump supporter.
The president confirmed that he had authorized the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and that 700 U.S. Marines were already stationed nearby, though not yet engaged with protesters. In response, Newsom filed a legal challenge seeking to block the federal intervention, accusing Trump of escalating tensions for political gain.
Trump also used the occasion to announce the restoration of Confederate-linked base names that had been changed during the Biden administration. Bases such as Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, and Fort Rucker will revert to their original names, a decision Trump said was about honoring American military tradition. Defense officials claimed the new namesakes would honor service members with the same surnames to avoid explicit Confederate associations.
The event took place amid a carnival-like atmosphere on base, complete with inflatables, military equipment displays, and stands selling Trump merchandise. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, both in attendance, praised Trump’s approach, with Hegseth declaring that the military is “restoring the warrior ethos” and rejecting “woke garbage.”
Trump’s remarks came days ahead of a planned military parade in Washington, D.C., set to coincide with both the Army’s anniversary and the president’s 79th birthday.
