President Donald Trump, right, is escorted by Air Force 89th Air Wing Deputy Commander Melissa Dombrock, left, as he walks from Air Force One before boarding Marine One, upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth makes remarks during a meeting with the Defense Ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, at the Pentagon in Washington, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a break with past practice, President Donald Trump now meets with candidates for promotion to the rank of four-star general, the White House has acknowledged.
The Republican president has the meetings because he wants to make sure the U.S. military retains its superiority and its leaders focus on fighting wars, a White House spokesperson said.
“President Trump wants to ensure our military is the greatest and most lethal fighting force in history, which is why he meets with four-star-general nominees directly to ensure they are war fighters first — not bureaucrats,†assistant press secretary Anna Kelly said.
The meetings, however, are a departure from past practice, and knowledge of them has raised concerns about politicization of the military's top ranks. Trump has .
In June, Trump took the rare step of , sending hundreds of them into Los Angeles over the objections of California Gov. , a Democrat with whom the president has feuded politically.
Trump followed up with a at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where uniformed soldiers cheered as he criticized former President Joe Biden, Newsom and other Democrats — raising concerns that Trump was using the military as a political prop.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., an Army veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the meetings “very welcome reform.â€
“I’ve long advocated for presidents to meet with 4-star nominees. President Trump’s most important responsibility is commander-in-chief,†Cotton wrote in a post on X. “The military-service chiefs and combatant commanders are hugely consequential jobs†and “I commend President Trump and Secretary Hegseth for treating these jobs with the seriousness they deserve.â€
The New York Times, which first reported on the practice, said it had been initiated by Defense Secretary .
The ´ºÉ«Ö±²¥ Press. All rights reserved.
Automotive industry leaders are hoping to see exemptions for vehicles compliant wi…
Hudson’s Bay has received court approval for two deals that will see it sell six o…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
