An audience was taken aback when Donald Trump remarked on the lack of applause during his speech.
On Tuesday, September 30, the president presented his vision in a speech to military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
Having already dispatched the National Guard to oversee local law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, it is evident that Trump is focusing on the military as a central component of his broader national strategy.
Among the more controversial elements of his speech, he claimed that the US is engaged in an internal conflict and a border struggle related to immigration.
“It’s a war from within. Controlling the physical territory of our border is essential to national security. We can’t let these people in,” he asserted.
Trump also directed accusations at Russia and China, issuing a grim warning that the US is over two decades ahead of both nations in nuclear capabilities.
The reception of his speech was notably lukewarm, as Trump himself observed the room’s silence.
“I’ve never walked into a room so silent before. This is very… Don’t laugh, don’t laugh,” he remarked in response to the quiet.
“You’re not allowed to do that…You know what, just have a good time. And if you want to applaud, you applaud. And if you want to do anything you want, you can do anything you want.”
He continued with a seemingly light-hearted warning: “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room, ‘cos there goes your rank, there goes your future.”
Although the statement garnered some laughter, he carried on: “You just feel nice and loose, okay? Because we’re all on the same team.”
This awkward moment did not go unnoticed on Twitter, where users expressed their discomfort and concern about Trump’s subtle ‘joke’ regarding stripping military members of their rank for not applauding.
One user commented: “And there it is! ‘Do as I ask or suffer!'”
“These are the words of a dictator, not a president. This is his entire philosophy with his cabinet. Puppets, yes men, servants, worshipers and MAGA sheep. This is not leadership. This is authoritarian rule. Wake up America.”
Another added: “The fact they didn’t applaud this a**hole gives me hope for our country. They will not follow unlawful orders.”
“Really not doing his best to shake those accusations of fascism,” observed a third.
In other parts of Trump’s speech, he mentioned deploying 1,700 National Guard troops nationwide to support ICE and the Department of Homeland Security with increased immigration raids.
Trump also criticized Democrat-led cities, labeling them as ‘very unsafe places’ that his administration, with military assistance, plans to ‘straighten out one by one.’