Trump kicks off Army's 250th birthday celebrations at Fort Bragg, says he'll restore base names
FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- President Donald Trump traveled to the nation's largest military installation Tuesday to kick off celebrations for the U.S. Army's 250th birthday.
While there, all units at Fort Bragg conducted readiness demonstrations for the president. Before he spoke, Trump watched the U.S. Army demonstrate a missile strike, a helicopter assault and a building raid, a preview of the kind of show of American military might he's expected to display in the nation's capital for a massive military parade this weekend.
Trump has promoted the Army's anniversary as a reason to hold the parade on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday. Tanks and other vehicles will roll down city streets.
"I think it's going to be great," Trump told reporters at the White House earlier Tuesday. "We're going to celebrate our country for a change."
During his remarks, Trump announced that he is restoring the original names of the bases that had been renamed by the Biden Administration because they originally were named after Confederate officers.
Trump said Fort Pickett, Fort Robert E. Lee and Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort Rucker in Alabama, and Fort Polk in Louisiana will have their names changed back.
WATCH | President Trump's full remarks at Fort Bragg
The Trump administration has already done that with Fort Benning and Bragg by finding soldiers who had won medals for heroism and shared the same last names as the Confederate officers for whom the bases had originally been named.
"Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit?" Trump said. "We'll forget all about that."
The Army later released a statement saying it would "take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu."
As with Bragg and Benning, the names are being restored by using the names of soldiers who share the surnames of the Confederate leaders for whom they were originally renamed.
"The Secretary of the Army will take immediate action to implement these redesignations, which are in accordance with Section 1749(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020," the Army said.
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Trump also called protesters in Los Angeles "animals" and "a foreign enemy" in his speech as he defended deploying the military on demonstrators who opposed his immigration enforcement raids and resorted in some cases to violence. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire during the weekend in Los Angeles. The demonstrations in the city of 4 million people have largely been centered in several blocks of downtown.
"We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That's what they are," Trump said Tuesday.
Trump's remarks came as he left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, one of the most extreme emergency powers available to the president. It authorizes him to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations.
Trump received plenty of cheers from the crowd, but one observer in the crowd was a little uneasy with parts of his remarks.
Robin Boothe, 50, works on the post as an audiology assistant. She voted for the president and said his speech was "classic Trump," but she said she thought the remarks strayed from the spirit of the day.
"I thought that was better left for a press conference than what we were celebrating today," Boothe said.
The president also called Los Angeles "a trash heap" with "entire neighborhoods under control" of criminals and said the federal government would "use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order."
"We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean, and safe again," Trump added.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was also at Fort Bragg, accompanying Trump as part of the celebrations. The two leaders also met with soldiers and military families.
Hegseth took the stage shortly after 4 p.m., telling the troops the administration was "restoring the warrior ethos" and rejecting "woke garbage" and "political correctness" to cheers from the crowd.
"We're not a college or a university," he said.
The visit drummed up a lot of excitement. Trump supporters shared that the president's move to begin the Army's 250th birthday celebrations at Fort Bragg sends a special message to servicemembers.
"I think it's great celebrating the Army's birthday, and nowhere better to do it than Fort Bragg, full of paratroopers and soldiers that are motivated, you know, here to celebrate with him," one attendee said." As our commander-in-chief, I think it's important for him to come out and show support for our troops."
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The atmosphere resembled a state fair with military flair. Inflatable slides and attractions for children were set up in a field, with artillery, trucks, and helicopters parked on another section of the lawn. Right outside the security checkpoint - but still on the base - two stands were selling Trump political hats, T-shirts, and other paraphernalia.
"Being a military spouse, it's very difficult, so it's actually very sweet that he comes out and spends time with us and everything," one woman said.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was also at Tuesday's event, along with service members, veterans, and their families.
Driscoll, who spoke to the crowd before Trump arrived, called the president "the greatest recruiter in our Army's history."
The Army's milestone anniversary will be celebrated nationwide with major events planned, including a grand parade on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 14, the Army's official birthday, and coincidentally, Trump's birthday as well.
Hundreds of them will be coming from Fort Bragg, with officials saying that they're excited to be part of the big day.
ABC11's Monique John and The Associated Press contributed.
