Trump Proposes Using U.S. Cities as Military Training Grounds
On September 30, 2025, President Donald Trump said in a video clip reported by the Associated Press and republished by PBS that some "dangerous cities" could be used "as training grounds" for the U.S. military, telling Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "I told Pete ... we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military." He referenced prior deployments of the National Guard and active‑duty Marines to Los Angeles earlier this year and again threatened action in Chicago, saying "we're going into Chicago very soon," remarks that bear on federal‑state roles, domestic troop use and public‑safety policy.
Politics
Military
Public Safety
🔍 Key Facts
- President Donald Trump made the remarks on September 30, 2025 and was recorded in an Associated Press video republished by PBS.
- Direct quote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: "we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military."
- The president referenced prior deployments of the National Guard and active‑duty Marines to Los Angeles earlier in 2025 and threatened an imminent move on Chicago.
📍 Contextual Background
- Department of Defense contingency guidance listed priority missions during a shutdown in the following order: operations to secure the U.S. Southern Border; Middle East operations; the U.S. missile defense project Golden Dome for America; depot maintenance; shipbuilding; and critical munitions.
- Law enforcement agencies respond to active shooter incidents and may engage and neutralize suspects at the scene.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigates incidents of targeted violence.
- During a U.S. federal government shutdown, active-duty military personnel and deployed National Guard members must continue to perform their assigned duties but their pay is delayed until the shutdown ends.
- A crime statistician testified that rates of murder and violent crime were falling nationwide and in Charlotte after increases early in the 2020s (as of 2025-09-29).
- Congress enacted the Pay Our Military Act in 2013 to ensure military pay and allowances continued during a government shutdown.
- Civilian personnel whose work the Department of Defense designates as 'excepted' continue to work during a government shutdown, while other Department of Defense civilian employees are furloughed.