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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Joe Sommerlad and Andrew Feinberg

Trump subjects top generals to familiar list of grievances after Hegseth says ‘dudes in dresses’ must go: Live updates

Pete Hegseth Donald Trump War (Organization) Virginia Quantico

President Donald Trump delivered a rambling address to the U.S. military’s top generals and admirals in Quantico, Virgina, on Tuesday morning, dwelling on everything from the quality of the writing paper he uses in the Oval Office to nuclear submarines, the Nobel Peace Prize and Joe Biden.

His remarks followed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth offering a sermon of his own on the importance of maintaining a “warrior ethos” in which he railed against DEI culture and “woke” values in the Pentagon, berated troops for being overweight, bearded or having long hair and warned America’s enemies: “F*** around and find out.”

As many as 1,000 officials were ordered to fly in for the meeting at the Marine Corps base, a complicated and costly endeavour about which many were reportedly unhappy.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the House and Senate are scrambling to agree a new spending bill before midnight to prevent the federal government entering shutdown mode.

The delicate state of the negotiations between Republicans and Democrats has not been helped by Trump posting an AI meme mocking opposition leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer on Truth Social after a fruitless meeting with them on Monday.

Key Points

  • Donald Trump delivers rambling address to top generals
  • 'No dudes in dresses': Pete Hegseth outlines anti-woke 'warrior ethos'
  • U.S. government heading for shutdown unless Republicans and Democrats can thrash out new spending deal
  • Trump posts bizarre deepfake government shutdown video of Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer
  • What is a government shutdown?

Trump says drug prices will come down 'immediately' following deal

17:53 , Mike Bedigan

In his remarks after announcing the deal, Trump promised that drug prices would come down “immediately,” though did not specify which drugs.

The president later claimed that he had cut the price of insulin down during his first term in office, but that the Biden administration had subsequently “taken credit” for it.

“I cut down the price of insulin to $35,” he said.

“When I saw Biden take credit for $35 and even less, insulin, that was 1000% lower than where it was previous. I didn't like it.

“They tried to take credit for it.”

Donald Trump calls Obamacare 'a failure'

17:47 , Mike Bedigan

Speaking to reporters after announcing his deal with Pfizer, Donald Trump hit out at Obamacare, calling it “a failure.”

“Obamacare is a failure, Obamacare is not good,” the president said. “And I asked the Democrat representatives, what do you think about coming up with a better health care, this actually allows you to do that.

“This is one of the biggest news conference, from a medical stand point that I think has ever been had by any administration.”

Trump announces deal with Pfizer to lower drug prices in the U.S.

17:38 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump has announced that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer agreed to sell its products in the U.S. at “Most Favored Nation” pricing, following an executive order.

The “Most Favored Nation” order required companies to sell drugs in the U.S. at the lowest price they sell in other developed countries.

The president claimed at one point in the news conferences that in some cases, drug prices would be reduced by “14, 15, 1600 percent.”

Jon Stewart rips into ‘narcissistic media’ over response to mass shootings after Michigan tragedy

17:16 , Mike Bedigan

Jon Stewart lashed out against the media’s “left-right blame game” during Monday’s show, after four people died in a mass shooting at a church in Michigan.

The comedian also criticized President Donald Trump’s response to the country’s gun crisis, which saw a total of six mass shootings taking place on September 29.

Owen Scott was watching:

Jon Stewart rips ‘narcissistic media’ response after Michigan Mormon mass shooting

Hegseth is terrified of assassination and is ‘crawling out of his skin’

17:01 , Mike Bedigan

Pete Hegseth is reportedly “crawling out of his skin” in fear of being assassinated in the wake of the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.

The U.S. Secretary of War has been described by his staff as “manic,” frequently erupting into furious rants.

Owen Scott has more:

Pete Hegseth is ‘crawling out of his skin’ in fear of assassination

Jeffries gets tough with Trump over ‘racist and fake’ AI video

16:45 , Joe Sommerlad

The House Minority Leader calls out the president over his childish social media clip last night, featuring Jeffries and Chuck Schumer dissing their own party, as the chance of shutdown day having a happy ending continues to look slim indeed.

Trump arrives back at the White House

16:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The president has just landed back in D.C. aboard Marine One and will shortly deliver his big announcement of the day, which is reportedly about drug pricing.

(AP)

Analysis: Great news – Trump and Hegseth have finally gotten rid of the woke, pronoun-loving military men with beards!

16:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s Holly Baxter’s assessment of what we’ve just heard from the president and his secretary of war.

Trump and Hegseth finally get rid of woke, pronoun-loving military men with beards!

Recap: Generals silent as Hegseth ends ‘warrior ethos’ rally speech: ‘Out with the Milleys’ and ‘in with the Pattons’

16:00 , Joe Sommerlad

As we digest that extended riff from the commander-in-chief, here’s a look back to the man who had hoped to headline that gathering but ended up the warm-up act: Pete Hegseth.

Here’s Andrew Feinberg on the secretary of war’s anti-woke diatribe.

Generals silent as Hegseth ends ‘warrior ethos’ rally speech

President leaves stage to minimal applause

15:41 , Joe Sommerlad

Finally Trump finishes his remarks and leaves to only a polite smattering of applause from the generals, not much better than Hegseth got.

Naturally he ran over there so will be late for his scheduled remarks at the White House, which are supposed to commence in 20 minutes.

Trump’s remarks already drawing criticism before he has even finished speaking

15:39 , Joe Sommerlad

“I couldn’t be prouder of our highest ranking leaders for maintaining an apolitical face under immense pressure,” retired Army Major General Paul D Eaton told The New York Times just now.

“Pete Hegseth spent millions to fly in all of our generals and admirals to rant about facial hair and brag about how many pull-ups he can do, and have Donald Trump sleepwalk through a list of partisan gripes.”

‘They call me the president of NATO,’ Trump claims

15:35 , Joe Sommerlad

Trump says he asked Putin if he was a ‘paper tiger’

15:28 , Joe Sommerlad

The president claims Russia should have won the war in Ukraine in a week, adding that he told Vladimir Putin to his face that he did not look good after spending four years as a wartime president.

“I’m so disappointed in him,” Trump broods.

Trump says Biden was ‘falling downstairs everyday’

15:24 , Joe Sommerlad

That’s not true, of course, but it does lead the president into some rare praise for Barack Obama, whom he admits was a fine stair walker.

His attack on his predecessor comes as he makes the familiar claim that the U.S. was not respected by the rest of the world between 2021 and 2025 because he was not in power.

In pictures: U.S. military leaders listen to president's speech

15:19 , Joe Sommerlad

Not a single overweight, bearded man among them, you will note.

(Reuters)
(Reuters)

Trump on rapidly partisan form despite somnolent delivery

15:17 , Andrew Feinberg

The president’s delivery today is far more somnolent than usual but the content of his remarks has thus far been rabidly partisan and replete with rambling attacks on one of the country's two major political parties before an audience of top military leaders who have dedicated their lives to a nonpartisan institution and sworn to uphold the constitution under civilian leaders from either party.

The U.S. is under invasion, says Trump

15:15 , Joe Sommerlad

The president says the country is under siege from people who “don’t wear uniforms” before saying he will be sending troops into Chicago, calling Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker “stupid” for good measure.

He’s also been justifying his attacks on Venezuelan boats by saying that fishermen are now too frightened to venture out into the Caribbean.

This is ripe stuff, truly.

Trump says some U.S. warships are ‘ugly’ and that he sent a submarine to Russia

15:12 , Joe Sommerlad

Pivotting from the trivial to the alarming, the president says he is a “very aesthetic person” and is not happy with the look of certain Navy battleships and that he recently sent a nuclear sub to spy on Russia (!)

Trump trails new battleships

14:57 , Joe Sommerlad

I’ve lost the thread of this wayward address from the president but, fortunately, Andrew Feinberg had his eye on the ball:

President complains he won’t get Nobel Peace Prize

14:48 , Joe Sommerlad

Instead, he gripes, the honor will probably go to “some guy who didn’t do a damn thing” or a writer who has just put out a new book entitled “The mind of Donald Trump.”

Hard to disagree with this observation.

Rambling Trump dwells on quality of his writing paper

14:46 , Joe Sommerlad

By now positively hoarse, the president has just been telling the military leaders that he likes to roll out only the very best writing paper when he’s signing off on official business pertaining to them.

Surreal.

Trump brags about nuclear firepower and calls it the ‘N-word’

14:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Sounding a little sleepy and, frankly, medicated, the president refers to nuclear warfare as the “N-word.”

“There are two N-words, you can’t use either of them,” he tells his silent audience.

He brags about the lethality of America’s nuclear arsenal while saying we have to hope it’s never called upon.

Trump calls Democrats ‘a bad lot of people’ on day of looming government shutdown

14:36 , Joe Sommerlad

The great dealmaker appears to be working overtime to alienate the opposition, whose support Republicans will ultimately need on Capitol Hill, on today of all days.

Trump opens with meandering remarks on 'Gulf of America' win over AP

14:33 , Andrew Feinberg

Trump opens his speech to the nation's highest-ranking officers and their enlisted advisers by laying into the Associated Press and bragging about having won a court fight to prevent the country's oldest newswire service from covering him aboard Air Force One and in the Oval Office because it would not go along with his order to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America."

Trumps arrives on stage in Quantico

14:28 , Joe Sommerlad

After being introduced by Hegseth, the president takes to the lectern as “Hail to the Chief” plays.

“I’ve never walked into a room so sour before,” Trump remarks, only half-joking.

Recap: ‘Today is Liberation Day for America’s warriors’

14:22 , Joe Sommerlad

Phew! While we catch our breath, here’s a look at some more “highlights” from Hegseth’s address just now, which he compared to Trump’s “Liberation Day’ tariffs announcement on April 2, which, you may recall, was a disaster that had to be reversed a week later.

Here are are some key moments for his declaration of war against wokery in the military:

‘Move out and draw fire because we are the War Department’

14:02 , Joe Sommerlad

Hegseth leaves the stage, with no applause audible.

US has never won a major war since changing name to Department of Defense, Hegseth says

14:01 , Joe Sommerlad

We’re off the deep end here.

Hegseth promotes ‘healthy fear’ among new troops

13:59 , Joe Sommerlad

The secretary’s appeal for a more “back to basics” approach to the military includes fewer meetings and testing and more time instilling discipline in recruits through scare tactics and hazing.

‘Personnel is policy,’ Hegseth says

13:51 , Joe Sommerlad

That was the secretary’s justification for firing so many military leaders just now, challenging others to follow them out of the door if they disagree with his statements on stage.

‘No more frivolous complaints, no more anonymous complains, no more repeat complainants’

13:49 , Joe Sommerlad

Hegseth is currently railing against the “Woke Department” for becoming too bureaucratic and sensitive.

‘No women in combat jobs? So be it,’ says Hegseth

13:45 , Joe Sommerlad

The secretary tells Quantico he is not opposed to female soldiers but says they must be held to the same physical standards as men, apparently fearing the prospect of women not being strong enough to drag a wounded colleague from a battlefield.

We’re reviewing departmental definition of ‘toxic leadership,’ says Hegseth

13:43 , Joe Sommerlad

The secretary says there will be no more “walking on egg shells” under his leadership as part of his purge of “woke” values and the complaint culture he feels is rampant in the Pentagon and beyond.

He adds that soldiers need to stop being held to the same standards as civilians.

In pictures: Hegseth lectures generals on fitness and presentation

13:40 , Joe Sommerlad
(Getty)
(Getty)

Secretary suggests efforts to diversify military was always a fool's errand

13:37 , Andrew Feinberg

Hegseth says he would not want his son “serving alongside troops who are out of shape or in combat unit with females who can’t meet the same combat arms physical standards as men or troops who are not fully proficient on their assigned weapons platform or task or under a leader who was the first, but not the best.”

Implicit in his remarks is an idea that decades of work to diversify the all-volunteer military was a fool's errand because women, in his view, should not serve in combat.

Hegseth’s announcement that the military will require meeting “the highest male standard only” is intended to roll back a 2015 Pentagon rule change opening all combat roles to women without explicitly doing so.

Hegseth calls for higher standards and rails against ‘fat troops’

13:34 , Joe Sommerlad

The secretary announces a new “combat field test” and announces bi-annual fitness testing and insists on “real hard PT [physical training]”, not “hot yoga.”

He’s also complaining about soldiers with long hair and beards.

'No more dudes in dresses,' says Hegseth

13:30 , Andrew Feinberg

Hegseth is currently telling the military's most senior leaders that many of their peers who are not white or male were promoted solely for their race or gender, seemingly ignoring the fact that those promoted to flag rank (generals or admirals) are selected by promotion boards made up of other generals or admirals.

Hegsteh complains of ‘decades of decay’

13:26 , Joe Sommerlad

The secretary is currently attacking the U.S. military’s culture, railing against DEI promotions and the “war on warriors,” making sure to get in a plug for his book in the process.

Hegseth tells enemies: 'FAFO'

13:23 , Joe Sommerlad

I hope that acronym speaks for itself...

‘Good morning and welcome to the War Department’

13:19 , Joe Sommerlad

Hegseth is at the podium and is underway, after being introduced by Dan Caine.

He tells his audience of generals and admirals that their only mission is “warfighting” and that they need to be strong to deliver peace.

Live: Trump and Hegseth host rare meeting with military commanders

13:10 , Joe Sommerlad

You can watch a live feed from Quantico via The Independent’s YouTube channel below:

In pictures: Hegseth arrives for address to military leaders

13:05 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine arriving for this morning’s speech at Quantico, Virginia.

(AFP/Getty)
(Getty)

White House warns of mass firings across government if there is a shutdown

12:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s Kelly Rissman with a reminder of the Trump administration’s dire warning of the consequences for federal workers if their representatives on Capitol Hill fail to come to an agreement before the end of play today.

White House warns of mass firings across government if there is a shutdown: report

What is a government shutdown?

12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

For the 21st time in the past 50 years, all federal agencies will run out of money at midnight on Tuesday – unless Congress acts to stop them.

The reason is that, while Republicans control both houses of Congress and the presidency, they still need 60 votes in the Senate to ram funding bills past a potential Democratic filibuster.

That means that as long as Democrats refuse to budge, Republicans must either offer them a compromise or abolish the filibuster. So far, neither has happened.

So what would a government shutdown actually mean for you and for the nation?

Here’s Io Dodds to answer that question.

What is a government shutdown? Here’s how it would impact most Americans

Trump posts bizarre deepfake government shutdown video showing Schumer saying: ‘Nobody likes Democrats anymore’

12:10 , Joe Sommerlad

Given the delicate state of the negotiations between Republicans and Democrats, the president has hardly helped matters by posting an AI meme mocking opposition leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer on Truth Social last night, risking ratcheting up the tensions still further after their fruitless meeting at the White House on Monday.

Josh Marcus reports.

Trump posts bizarre AI shutdown video of Schumer saying: ‘Nobody likes Democrats’

U.S. government heading for shutdown unless Republicans and Democrats can thrash out new spending deal

11:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Back in Washington, the leaders of the House and Senate are scrambling to agree on a new spending bill before midnight to prevent the federal government entering shutdown mode.

Trump, Vice President JD Vance and the GOP leaders on Capitol Hill had a simple message for the public yesterday: It’s all the opposition’s fault.

Here’s more from Eric Garcia.

Trump, Vance and Republicans point fingers and blame Democrats for potential shutdown

Critics reject Hegseth speech as costly and unnecessary

11:35 , Joe Sommerlad

The decision to call the Quantico meeting has been questioned, however, with Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, for one, expressing concern over the likely cost of the exercise.

Mark Hertling, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, has meanwhile said that those officers and senior enlisted personnel summoned to attend were already deeply familiar with the topic of Hegseth’s lecture, which Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough ridiculed as a “rah-rah-speech.”

“The warrior ethos is just one part of the professional triad that the military has,” Hertling said on Scarborough’s breakfast show.

“You have the oath to the Constitution, the service’s values. I can still name the Army values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, integrity, honor and personal courage. All services have that, and then the warrior ethos is just a performative method of actualizing that.

“Well, it started out that way and then it became well, no, there was an announcement that someone in the Pentagon said this was all about getting the horses into the stable and whipping them into shape. That’s insulting and condescending.”

Donald Trump to watch Pete Hegseth deliver 'warrior ethos' address to top generals

11:20 , Joe Sommerlad

President Donald Trump will be in Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday morning to hear Secretary of War Pete Hegseth deliver a motivational speech on “warrior ethos” to the U.S. military’s top generals and admirals.

As many as 1,000 officials have been ordered to fly in for the meeting at the Marine Corps’ base, a complicated and costly endeavour at which budget cuts might also be discussed, according to some reporting.

"It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message," Trump has told NBC News.

“We have some great people coming in, and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps.’ You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’? That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and how we’re doing.”

Here’s more from John Bowden.

Trump to attend Hegseth’s speech dragging generals in from around the globe: report

Hello and welcome

11:05 , Joe Sommerlad

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Donald Trump’s short trip to Virginia to hear Secretary of War Pete Hegseth address the U.S. military’s top commanders on “warrior ethos.”

Meanwhile, back in Washington, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate are scrambling to agree a new spending package before the federal government enters shutdown mode at midnight.

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