Former US President Donald Trump, during a town hall in North Carolina on Friday, announced his agreement to form a panel aimed at keeping “woke generals” out of the US Department of Defence. The proposal came in response to a question posed by a former Air Force pilot, asking whether Trump would consider creating such a task force if re-elected.
Trump not only agreed but went a step further, telling the veteran, “I’m going to put you on that task force,” a remark met with enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.The event, held in Fayetteville, attracted a large military audience, reflecting the area’s deep ties to the armed forces.
Throughout the town hall, Trump made several promises directly tailored to appeal to the military community. He pledged that his proposed missile defense system, modeled after Israel’s Iron Dome, would be manufactured in North Carolina.
Additionally, he committed to raising military pay and vowed to restore the original name of Fort Liberty, the largest US military base, back to Fort Bragg, which had been renamed as part of the military’s efforts to address its historical ties to race and the Confederacy.
Addressing an audience at the Crown Arena, Trump responded to eight preselected questions, many of which echoed sentiments from his regular stump speeches.
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The event was moderated by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., a veteran and outspoken Trump ally. The questions posed allowed Trump to reiterate several of his long-standing, though often debunked, claims regarding immigration, election fraud, and global instability.
Trump also repeated his false assertion that Democrats cheated during the 2020 election, while continuing his familiar attacks on the media.
Earlier that day, he toured areas of Georgia affected by Hurricane Helene, claiming that the media had downplayed the storm and the Biden administration’s response.
Luna, aligning with Trump’s remarks, suggested that the administration’s response to the hurricane was lacking, particularly because it impacted Republican-majority areas.
“I do believe that they’ve intentionally, this is my opinion, not helped out those residents, because it’s red communities that are impacted,” she said.
The town hall reflected Trump’s ongoing strategy of making bold promises directly to his base, often tailored to their specific concerns.