WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump did not let the government shutdown disrupt his visit to Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday, where he celebrated the Navy’s 250th anniversary, using the occasion to commend both the Navy and himself.
Trump’s speech, by his own admission, resembled more of a campaign rally, eliciting cheers from attendees before concluding with a recording of his anthem, “YMCA” by Village People.
“Let’s face it, this is a rally,” Trump told the crowd of about 10,000 sailors in their dress-white uniforms.
Navy planes flew overhead as the president began his speech, fueling the crowd’s energy and prompting many of the sailors to chant “USA! USA! USA!”
The president spoke on a pier between two imposing Navy vessels, an aircraft carrier and an amphibious assault ship. The carrier featured a Navy fighter jet, which had “President Donald J. Trump ’45-47′” inscribed on the fuselage just below the cockpit window.
The Republican president criticized his political adversaries and targeted Democratic lawmakers as the shutdown reached its fifth day, forcing military personnel to work without pay until the government reopens.
“I want you to know that despite the current Democrat-induced shutdown, we will ensure our service members receive every last penny. Don’t worry about it,” Trump declared to applause from the audience.
The government shutdown that started on Wednesday has led to partisan blame games as several thousand federal employees are furloughed, and key infrastructure and energy projects in Democrat-run areas like New York and Chicago are halted. This backdrop lingered during the event as Trump lauded the Navy, which he claimed has “never failed to hunt, kill and win.”
Senate Democrats rejected efforts to preserve a continuation of government operations when the new budget year started on Wednesday. They cited the lapse in subsidies that could cause health insurance costs to climb rapidly for people who get coverage through the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Democratic lawmakers also have sought to reverse cuts to Medicaid that Trump signed into law.
Democrats oppose Trump’s move to have his administration decline to spend congressionally approved funds, saying it undermines the budgeting process, among other concerns. Meanwhile, Trump has explored laying off federal workers at what he called “Democrat Agencies.”
Among those joining Trump for the festivities were first lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a former Navy rear admiral who was a White House doctor during Trump’s first term.
After his arrival in Norfolk, Trump went to the USS George H.W. Bush and spoke to the sailors and handed out challenge coins.
The Trumps then watched a military demonstration while standing on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Navy destroyers launched missiles and fired shells into the Atlantic Ocean, Navy SEALs descended from helicopters and fighter jets catapulted off.
The president has increasingly sought to leverage support from within the military as he has escalated its role in American society, asking troops to patrol the streets of U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Memphis, Baltimore and Portland, Oregon. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Trump was seeking to send his state’s National Guard to Portland after the administration’s previous moves to deploy troops in the Oregon National Guard were blocked in court.
1. In his June speechfor the 250th anniversary of the Army, Trump similarly broke down presidential norms by calling protesters in Los Angeles “animals” and “a foreign enemy,” claims that left some in the audience feeling uneasy.
The sailors on Sunday were far more engaged and responsive to the president’s jokes and political quips than the military’s top brass were at a meeting on Tuesday at a base in Quantico, Virginia. They had been abruptly summoned by Hegseth from across the globe.
In his speech to the generals, Trump proposed using U.S. cities as training grounds for the armed forces and he spoke of needing military might to combat what he called the “invasion from within.” Hegseth declared an end to “woke” culture and announced new directives for troops that include “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physical fitness.
The administration is seeking to reshape Pentagon culture and use military resources for the president’s priorities, including quelling domestic unrest and violent crime.
Trump has also engaged the military in an armed conflict with drug cartels, leading to four strikes on boats in the Caribbean that Washington says were involved in trafficking.
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