Garamendi Slams Trump and Hegseth’s Meeting with Military Leaders
Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and Ranking Member of the Readiness Subcommittee, issued a scathing statement following President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s unprecedented gathering of the military’s top commanders.
Garamendi described the event as “wasteful, pointless, and blatantly partisan,” stressing that in all his years of public service, he had never witnessed such an unnecessary display. He underscored that meetings of this scale, bringing together the nation’s most senior military leaders from across the globe, are almost unheard of and typically only convened under extraordinary circumstances tied to national security. In his view, Trump and Hegseth assembled them for no strategic or practical reason, but merely to stage what amounted to another campaign rally.
As someone who has worked closely with many of these generals and admirals, Garamendi voiced deep frustration that such capable and dedicated leaders were diverted from their global command responsibilities. He emphasized the enormous taxpayer cost of uprooting these commanders from active duty and warned of the grave national security risks that come with it. The congressman dismissed the purpose of the meeting, noting that the assembled officers were subjected to Trump’s incoherent ramblings and Hegseth’s condescending remarks about physical fitness—an insult, he argued, to the professionalism and nonpartisan commitment of America’s military leaders, who swore their oath to the Constitution and not to “wannabe kings.”
Garamendi also criticized Trump’s remarks suggesting the use of American cities as training grounds for U.S. forces, calling it another dangerous example of rhetoric that risks turning the world’s strongest military against its own people. For him, the event was not the conduct of a serious president or a serious Secretary of Defense, but rather a meaningless spectacle that undermined readiness, wasted taxpayer dollars, and disrespected the armed forces.
He concluded his statement with a sharp call for accountability, demanding that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth resign immediately.