Trump says military and law enforcement are ‘loaded up’ as recruitment hits record levels
CLIVE, IOWA: President Donald Trump traveled to Iowa, on Tuesday, January 27, to rally supporters nine months ahead of the mid-term elections. The visit marked his second trip to Iowa during his second term.
During his address, Trump focused his remarks on what he described as a dramatic turnaround in military and law enforcement recruitment across the United States.
Trump on rise in military and law enforcement recruitment
During his remarks Trump repeatedly emphasized what he called a historic rise in recruitment for the military and law enforcement. Trump contrasted current figures with what he described as recruitment challenges a year and a half earlier under former President Joe Biden.
“If you remember, a year and a half ago, we couldn't get people to enlist in the military,” Trump said then listing every branch, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Space Force. “I love Space Force,” he added.
Trump said that at the time, not only the military but also police departments were struggling to recruit. “Anybody with a uniform that represented the country, you couldn't get them,” he said.
According to the president, that situation has completely reversed. “Today, we have the single greatest recruitment numbers in the history of our military,” Trump told the crowd.
He added that police forces and law enforcement agencies are now “loaded up,” and that “everybody wants to be a policeman, a fireman,” or to serve in any branch of the military.
Trump described the change as “an amazing turnaround,” attributing it to what he called a simple principle: “all because we have a president who does something very simple, puts America first.”
Trump touts record military enlistments and warrior dividend
The president has previously taken credit for record-breaking military recruitment. Ahead of Memorial Day, last year, Trump claimed that enlistments surged after his re-election, saying "almost no one wanted to join" before then.
Trump continued, “After years of military recruiting shortfalls, enlistments in the US armed forces are now the highest in 30 years because there is such an incredible spirit in the United States of America.”
Pentagon spokesperson and senior adviser Sean Parnell also supported these claims, he said, “Since November 5, 2024, the US military has seen the highest recruiting percentage of mission achieved in 30 years.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed that military enlistments fell to record lows during Biden’s last year in office. “Just about a year ago, it was a big story, front page of every paper all over the world, that nobody wanted to enlist in our military,” Trump said.
In addition to recruitment, Trump announced a financial initiative for service members in 2025. He said he would issue checks for $1,776 to members of the US military, calling it the “Warrior Dividend,” in honor of the nation’s founding in 1776.
“1,450,000 military service members will receive a special, we call, warrior dividend before Christmas,” Trump said during a televised address. He attributed the funding to higher-than-expected revenue from tariffs, saying, “Nobody deserves it more than our military.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also directed the Pentagon to distribute $2.6 billion as a one-time basic allowance for housing supplement to eligible service members in pay grades O-6 and below. According to a senior administration official, about 1.28 million active-duty members and 174,000 reserve members will receive the supplement.
