Pete Hegseth reveals why military recruitment has soared under Trump

Joining “Fox & Friends” live from Normandy, France, where Allied forces once stormed the beaches to turn the tide of World War II, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth honored the 81st anniversary of D-Day with a message that looked not only to the past but to the future.As the nation honors the bravery and sacrifices of World War II veterans, Hegseth emphasized a new wave of patriotism among today’s young Americans – one he says is driving an uptick in military recruitment.“It’s historic.Of course it’s a morale shift.

It shifts back to the day President Trump was elected and then inaugurated,” he said Friday.The Army alone has posted the best recruiting numbers in years, reaching 61,000 for fiscal year 2025, with four months remaining.That’s an increase of more than 6,000 from 55,150 in fiscal year 2024.Hegseth told co-hosts Ainsley Earhardt, Lawrence Jones and Brian Kilmeade that the spirit inside the U.S.

armed forces is “incredible” right now, and the morale shift isn’t isolated to the Army.“It’s also the Air Force, it’s also the Navy, it is also the Marine Corps, Coast Guard and, as the president says, law enforcement,” he continued. “Across the board, the spirit of our country, [there’s a] willingness and desire to serve, because they see leadership that believes in the country that’s going to have their back, that says, ‘We want you to be warriors.We’re not doing this politically correct garbage anymore.

We’re doing war fighting.We’re training, we’re preparing, we’re focused on [getting] back to basics, and… the young people of America have responded, and they’ll continue to respond.”Hegseth attended this year’s ceremony where military officials and veterans commemorated the 81st anniversary of D-Day.He started his morning with a physical training session with rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment on Omaha Beach at nearly the same time as the first landing craft would have hit in 1944.“These me...