President Donald Trump told American troops in Japan early Tuesday morning that he will “clean out” unsafe cities, vowed to send in “more than the National Guard,” and railed about a range of political grievances.
“People don’t care if we send in our military, if we send in our National Guard, if we send in Space Command — they don’t care who the hell it is. They just want to be safe,” Trump said during remarks to troops stationed at the USS George Washington at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan.
“We’re gonna go into Chicago, we’re gonna go into our cities, we’re gonna clean them out,” the president continued. “And if we need more than the National Guard, we’ll send more than the National Guard.”
The remarks, part of Trump’s tour of East Asia this week, is the latest instance of the president vowing to deploy the U.S. military against cities — mostly Democratic-run cities. Last month, Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made similar threats, with the president vowing to use the military against perceived domestic foes. Critics have argued that Trump’s use of the National Guard in cities, under the guise of combatting crime, are attempts to crack down on dissent, anti-Trump protesters, instill fear in Democrats, and take over cities.
“San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles,” Trump said during his Sept. 30 remarks to top military leaders at Quantico base in Virginia. “We’re going to straighten them out, one by one. … It’s a war from within.”
Trump’s address Tuesday in Japan veered onto several issues unrelated to the military. He complained to troops about President Joe Biden, Democrats, and “good-looking” members of the military — continuing his campaign-style addresses to service members. Historically, presidents avoid engaging in partisan attacks while they speak to troops.
“Biden used to say he was a pilot. He was a pilot, he was a truck drive — whatever, whoever walked in,” Trump said. “He wasn’t a pilot. Wasn’t much of a president, either.”
“Too many good-looking people,” Trump said, referring to the soldiers. “I never liked good-looking people.”
