Trump marks Army milestone as troops deployed to Los Angeles
A military exercise is held during U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Fort Bragg to mark the U.S. Army anniversary, in North Carolina, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
U.S. Army members gather on the day of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Fort Bragg to mark the U.S. Army anniversary, in North Carolina, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
U.S. Army members look at Marine One on the day of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Fort Bragg to mark the U.S. Army anniversary, in North Carolina, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Army members as he looks at a military exercise during a visit to Fort Bragg to mark the U.S. Army anniversary, in North Carolina, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
U.S. President Donald Trump stands in a makeshift bunker during a visit to Fort Bragg to mark the U.S. Army anniversary, in North Carolina, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
FORT BRAGG, North Carolina - President Donald Trump celebrated soldiers in North Carolina on Tuesday as he threatened force against Washington military parade protesters and deployed troops in a confrontation over U.S. immigration policy.
Trump's visit to Fort Bragg, home to some 50,000 active-duty soldiers, for long-scheduled commemorations of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary followed his move to deploy 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in an escalating response to street protests over his immigration policies.
The Republican president defended the decision to reporters, saying it was needed to protect federal property and personnel. California's Democratic-led government has said the move is an abuse of power and an unnecessary provocation.
Street demonstrations in Southern California have been underway since Friday, when activists clashed with sheriff's deputies.
In North Carolina, Trump addressed troops after he and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth watched soldiers demonstrate a special forces assault on a building and use a long-range missile launcher on base.
It was the first in a series of celebrations of the Army anniversary involving Trump, ahead of a major parade in Washington on Saturday.
Trump on Tuesday warned against demonstrations against that parade, telling reporters "they're going to be met with very big force." The FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department have said there are no credible threats to the event.
The week's Army commemorations combine Trump's penchant for patriotic pomp and his political positioning as a law-and-order president. Saturday's celebrations in Washington include thousands of troops, dozens of military aircraft and coincide with Trump's 79th birthday.
The Army was established on June 14, 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence.
Earlier this year, Trump restored the name Fort Bragg to the base, one of the largest in the world, despite a federal law that prohibits honoring generals who fought for the South during the Civil War. His administration says the name now honors a different Bragg - Private First Class Roland Bragg, who served during World War Two. In 2023, the base had been renamed Fort Liberty, a change driven by racial justice protests.
Since launching his second term in office in January, Trump has made the military a focus of his efforts, with his defense secretary working to purge transgender service members, top officials appointed under his Democratic predecessor and even books deemed out of step.
The president's cost-cutting government reforms have largely spared the Defense Department's nearly $1 trillion annual budget. He has pledged to avoid international conflict while launching new weapons programs and increasing the use of the military domestically, including in immigration enforcement.
Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, setting the ICE border enforcement agency a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants.
Demonstrators in Los Angeles have assembled, among other places, at a government facility where immigrants are detained. REUTERS
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