President Donald Trump hosted a campaign-style rally Friday at Fort Bragg, an in North Carolina, encouraging troops to vote Republican and criticizing Democrats.

Trump arrived at the base to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” and concluded the event with the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” He stood on stage with Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chair and Senate hopeful, while promoting his military spending proposals and celebrating his restoration of the .

The rally was attended by uniformed service members.

“You’ve got to vote for us,” Trump told the troops Friday, pointing to his action to reinstate the Fort Bragg name after Congress ordered the Pentagon to rename bases honoring Confederate officers. Trump’s administration renamed the facility for Pfc. Ronald L. Bragg rather than Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg.

“If we don’t win the midterms, they’ll remove it again,” Trump stated. “They’ll take it off again. You can’t allow that to occur.”

Most uniformed service members listened without obvious response, except for taking out their phones to capture photos and videos.  

Friday’s event wasn’t the first instance of the President giving overtly political comments at military locations, challenging the tradition of keeping the armed forces separate from partisan politics. In his second term, Trump has more and more disregarded that separation, frequently using military bases as sites for campaign-style political speeches.

Defense Department prohibits active-duty service members from participating in partisan political activities. Army guidance emphasizes that the institution must stay above politics in both practice and how it’s perceived.

“The Army as an institution must be nonpartisan and seem that way too,” the Army field reads. “Nonpartisanship ensures the public that our Army will always serve the Constitution and our people with loyalty and accountability.”

The President isn’t bound by such a restriction, but most have followed the military’s apolitical norms. 

TIME has contacted the White House for a response.

Below is a short history of Trump’s speeches at military events and bases in his second term:

Oct. 5, 2025 — Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia

Trump commemorated the Navy’s 250th anniversary in Norfolk during a federal government shutdown, using the occasion to criticize Democrats over budget talks.

“Despite the current Democrat-caused shutdown, we’ll get our service members every single penny,” Trump said. “But we have to deal with this little gnat on our shoulder called the Democrats.”

“Despite the current Democrat-induced shutdown, we’ll get our service members every last penny,” he repeated.

The President was at the ceremony with the first lady and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, honoring a 100-year-old World War II veteran and watching military exercises. His comments, though, focused largely on the budget deadlock and immigration. 

September 30, 2025 — Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia 

Defense Secretary Hegseth held a meeting of senior military leaders in September, which Trump joined at the eleventh hour. Speaking to a room of generals and admirals, Trump gave a speech that observers called partisan.

“The places run by radical left Democrats… what they’ve done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles—they’re very dangerous places. And we’re going to fix them one by one. This will be a big part of the work for some of you here,” he said in a . “That’s a war too. It’s a war from inside.”

He cautioned that the country was  “under invasion from within” and criticized political foes, mixing his role as commander in chief with political messaging in a setting usually meant for nonpartisan military discussion. 

The event gained notice because it violated the longstanding norm of keeping senior military forums free of campaign-style language, raising questions about civil-military lines.

June 10, 2025 — Fort Bragg, North Carolina

During a visit to Fort Bragg last year—marking the Army’s 250th anniversary—Trump announced he was reinstating the names of seven military bases that had been altered following a Pentagon review of installations honoring Confederate officers. 

“We won many battles from those forts. Now’s not the time to change,” Trump said. “I’m superstitious. I want to keep things going.”

The announcement undid changes made during the Biden administration based on recommendations from a congressional naming commission. Trump said he decided to share the decision at Fort Bragg instead of waiting for a military parade in Washington a few days later.

“I couldn’t wait. I had to talk to my friends here today,” he stated.

At the same Army anniversary event, Trump used his comments to defend sending National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles during protests over immigration enforcement.

Labeling protesters “animals” and “a foreign enemy,” Trump said: “We won’t let an American city be invaded and taken over by a foreign enemy.”

He also warned that protesters against an upcoming military parade “will face very strong force.”

The event—which featured military demonstrations and equipment exhibits—combined ceremonial activities with political messages about immigration, public safety, and Democratic leaders.

His visit also got attention when campaign-style merchandise was sold on the base, such as “Make America Great Again” hats and Trump-themed T-shirts.

May 24, 2025 — West Point, New York

Trump gave a commencement speech at the U.S. Military Academy that at times felt like a campaign rally, showing up before graduates in a red “Make America Great Again” hat and linking the institution to his wider political goals.

“In a few months, you’ll be graduates of the most elite and legendary military academy in human history,” Trump told the cadets. “And I know that because I rebuilt that army.”

The President used the speech to promote his first-term accomplishments, criticize diversity programs, and repeat familiar campaign phrases—including his claim that he’s faced more investigations than Al Capone. 

“We’ve freed our troops from divisive and humiliating political trainings,” he said. He also wandered into cultural topics, referring to transgender policies and gender in sports while speaking to the graduating class.