Donald Trump says he will fire US military leaders if he doesn't like them
Donald Trump speaks to a gathering of top . military commanders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Quantico, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Donald Trump said he would meet with top US military leaders on Tuesday and that he would fire any of them on the spot if he didn't like them.
"I'm going to be meeting with generals and with admirals and with leaders, and if I don't like somebody, I'm going to fire them right on the spot," Mr Trump said.
Mr Trmp was due to speak at an unprecedented gathering of military leaders near Washington later in the day.
Ahead of Mr Trump's arrival at the event, the US defense secretary Pete Hegseth slammed "fat generals" and diversity initiatives that he said led to decades of decay in the military.
He told the rare gathering of commanders they should resign if they don't support his agenda.
"Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the 'Woke Department,'" Hegseth said as he kicked off the event in Quantico, Virginia.
"But not anymore," he said.
Addressing a room full of America's top generals and admirals, summoned from around the world without explanation last week, Hegseth defended his firings of flag officers, which include the top US general, who was black, and the Navy's top admiral, who was a woman.
He said the officers he relieved were part of a broken culture.
He promised sweeping changes to how discrimination complaints are handled and how accusations of wrongdoing are investigated at the Pentagon, saying the current system has top brass walking on "egg shells."
"If the words I'm speaking today are making your hearts sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign," Hegseth said.
"I know the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your hearts full."
Hegseth criticized the look of overweight troops, saying: "It's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon."
He said all fitness tests would be set to male benchmarks only and emphasized the importance of grooming standards.
"The era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos," Hegseth told the audience, which sat in silence.
The auditorium was filled with senior uniformed officials, seated in front of a stage with a large American flag, a lectern and boards that read: "Strength. Service. America."
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