Trump Holds Campaign-Style Rally at Fort Bragg, Draws Scrutiny Over Military Neutrality

President Donald Trump addressed uniformed service members at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Friday in an event that blurred the traditional line between military ceremony and political campaigning — a distinction the Army's own field manual describes as foundational to public trust in the armed forces.

Trump entered to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" and departed to the Village People's "Y.M.C.A.," a playlist more familiar to campaign stops than military installations. Sharing the stage with him was Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman currently running for Senate, who holds no government position. Trump used the platform to promote Whatley, criticize Democratic figures including former President Joe Biden, and urge the assembled troops to support Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.

"You have to vote for us," Trump told service members.

That line sits uncomfortably alongside Department of Defense policy, which explicitly prohibits partisan political activity by active-duty personnel. The Army field manual states that nonpartisanship "assures the public that our Army will always serve the Constitution and our people loyally." Whether Friday's event honored that principle is a question observers are likely to debate.

Most service members in attendance appeared restrained, largely leaving applause to Trump's political staff and the Republican lawmakers present, including Sen. Ted Budd and several North Carolina representatives. A handful responded when Trump asked who had received the $1,776 holiday bonus checks he approved in December.

Trump also announced plans to increase defense spending to $1 trillion, build new battleships, and improve on-base housing — proposals that drew no objection. After the speech, he met privately with service members involved in operations connected to the detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and indicated one would receive the Medal of Honor.

The military remains among the most trusted institutions in American life, though confidence has become increasingly polarized along partisan lines. A Republican lawmaker video calling on troops to refuse unlawful orders prompted Trump to label it seditious. A grand jury this week declined to indict the lawmakers involved, and a federal judge has preliminarily blocked disciplinary action against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a Navy veteran, by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The Army's institutional reputation for standing apart from politics has long been regarded as a strategic asset. Events like Friday's test how durable that reputation is.