Donald Trump has told top generals that dangerous U.S. cities should be used as military training grounds as he railed against some of his enemies being harder to “take out” than others.
In an at-times chilling speech on Tuesday, the president also warned that America was facing an “invasion from within” and identified certain classes of people as grave threats, from the radical left and his political opponents, to “sleazebag” journalists and illegal immigrants.
“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,” he said.
The comments were made in front of hundreds of generals and admirals who had been summoned from their posts to a military base in Virginia to hear the president speak alongside Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.
For more than an hour, a relatively subdued Trump hit on many of his usual partisan talking points, such as attacking Joe Biden, talking up his tariff policies, and ranting about the Nobel Peace Prize he’s hoping to win.
But his comments took a more sinister edge when he turned to the increasing use of troops on American soil.
Taking aim at Democratic strongholds such as Chicago, Portland, and Los Angeles, Trump told the generals he had urged Hegseth to use “dangerous” cities as training grounds for the military, declaring that “we’ll straighten them out one by one.”
He also urged the generals to make “defending the homeland” their top priority, and talked about an executive order he recently signed giving Hegseth more power to deploy a “quick reaction force” of National Guard to quell civil disturbances.
“This is going to 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. It won’t get out of control once you get involved,” he told them.
The speech was met with an often muted response by the audience, in a sharp contrast to the cheers and enthusiasm he is used to receiving at his MAGA rallies and events.
But many political observers expressed alarm, some even going so far as to warn of America’s descent into autocracy.
Anyone who talks about their fellow Americans as enemies to be “taken out” is not fit to lead the nation.Take the keys away from Donald Trump before he drives us further into chaos. https://t.co/XFs2ZnCYjT
— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) September 30, 2025
“Another day, another threat by the President of the United States to use military force against ordinary Americans. If it happens, nobody can say they didn’t know,” said Marcel Dirsus, political scientist and author of How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive. “
“Trump wants to be a dictator and he’s not even trying to hide it.”
Illinois governor JB Pritzker also weighed in, writing on X: “Anyone who talks about their fellow Americans as enemies to be “taken out” is not fit to lead the nation.”
“Take the keys away from Donald Trump before he drives us further into chaos,” he added.
But Trump doubled down in his speech, insisting that Chicago “desperately” needs the military to crack down on crime, before turning his attention to Portland, Oregon, which he compared to “a warzone.”
The administration has sought to deploy the Oregon National Guard for 60 days to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other government personnel in the city.
However, the state of Oregon and the city of Portland have sued the Trump administration to stop it from sending in troops.
Democratic Governor Tina Kotek said in a statement that she had told Trump that there was no threat to public safety that necessitated military intervention.
“Despite this—and all evidence to the contrary—he has chosen to disregard Oregonians’ safety and ability to govern ourselves,“ she said.
“This is not necessary. And it is unlawful. And it will make Oregonians less safe.”
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