At what was supposed to be a celebration of tradition and unity — the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday — controversy quickly took center stage.
As former President Donald Trump delivered a televised speech at Fort Bragg this week, the soldiers standing behind him weren’t just randomly chosen.
According to internal communications from the 82nd Airborne Division, they were carefully selected based on their appearance and political leanings.
No Room for Dissent or Dad Bods
Military.com obtained internal messages showing that soldiers were vetted not just for their support of the current administration, but also for how they looked.
One instruction explicitly stated: “No fat soldiers.”
Another message warned that if any troops disagreed politically with Trump, they should talk to their leadership and be swapped out.
The result? A mostly white, male group of soldiers who cheered Trump and booed his political opponents — California Governor Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass — when he mentioned the protests against ICE operations.
They also jeered at President Joe Biden and members of the media, laughing loudly as Trump mocked his successor.
A Violation of Military Norms?
While this kind of crowd response may play well at a political rally, it runs into thorny territory when it happens in uniform.
According to the Army’s own guidelines, soldiers are expected to remain politically neutral while representing the military.
A recently updated Army field manual clearly states that “being nonpartisan means not favoring any specific political party or group.”
It also clarifies that soldiers can be involved in political activities — but only as private citizens, and not in uniform.
Soldiers Speaking Out from Within
Not everyone in the 82nd Airborne is staying silent.
One noncommissioned officer reportedly questioned how anyone could see Tuesday’s spectacle as anything other than a political stunt — one involving troops in uniform.
He even suggested that many of the booing soldiers likely had no idea who the political figures were, saying they “couldn’t identify them in a lineup.”
Pentagon Pushes Back on Criticism
Despite the backlash, Defense Department officials are downplaying concerns.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told Military.com that no one needs prompting to boo the press, calling the reporting itself “a disgraceful attempt to ruin the lives of young soldiers.”
Even if rules were broken, sources inside the Army indicated that there would likely be no consequences, arguing that the troops were caught up in the moment — and possibly reacting to cues from the former president himself.
Trump Merch on Military Grounds Raises Eyebrows
Adding fuel to the fire, a pop-up shop run by Oklahoma-based retailer 365 Campaign was spotted operating at Fort Bragg during the event, selling a range of pro-Trump merchandise.
Among the items: MAGA chain necklaces and faux “White Privilege Cards” labeled “Trump’s Everything.”
Photos even showed soldiers purchasing merchandise on-site.
This raised serious questions about how political merchandise ended up being sold on an Army base during an official event.
Col. Mary Ricks, speaking on behalf of Fort Bragg, confirmed that the vendor’s presence is now under review, saying the base is working to understand how this was allowed — and how to keep it from happening again.
