President Donald Trump told the crowd of over 10,000 sailors at Naval Station Norfolk that they will eventually be paid, despite the government shutdown.
“I want you to know that despite the current Democrat-induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny. Don't worry about it,” Trump said.
The crowd broke into applause when the president said he backed a pay raise for the military, whenever he and lawmakers in Congress reach a deal to reopen the government and resume work on the next defense budget. A 2019 law requires federal employees to be repaid for lost income after a shutdown ends.
Trump railed against so-called “woke generals” as he had during a speech at Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday to the top officers and enlisted leaders in the military.
“It's really gone. I don't know that it was ever really here. I think some of the top people had it. I knew a few of them. They were really major losers,” he said.
During the same event on Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced he would roll back provisions that allowed some sailors to wear beards, declaring “no more beardos.” Some Black troops have a skin condition that makes it difficult to shave. He also called for stricter height and weight standards, saying “no more fat generals.”
WHRO confirmed that commands throughout Hampton Roads were asked to provide a certain number of sailors for the event called “Titans of the Sea: A Salute to the Fleet.” Multiple sources told WHRO that staff at the event were told that sailors with beards or who look like they may not meet height and weight standards should be turned away from the risers that would appear on camera around the president.
The event was held on Pier 14 on Naval Station Norfolk. The stage was wedged between the carrier USS Harry S. Truman and the Amphibious Assault Ship USS Kearsarge. Military aircraft, including an Osprey and helicopters were parked in the ships’ hangerbays overlooking the pier. On one of Truman's elevators there was an F/A 18 with Donald J. Trump 45-47 printed where the pilot’s name and call sign would normally be located next to the cockpit.
The speakers list included Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan and First Lady Melania Trump. Though billed as one several large events planned for the 250th Anniversary of the Navy, no active duty member of the Navy spoke before the crowd in the lead up to the president’s speech.
While the crowd waited, the president was flown off the coast of Hampton Roads to the carrier USS George HW Bush, where he was shown a Navy flotilla that included eight destroyers and the firing of five SM-2 missiles, which cost a minimum of $2 million each. Navy SEALs fast roped to the deck of a ship from a helicopter.
F/A 18 fighters from Naval Air Station Oceana took off and landed on the carrier and demonstrated a mid-air refueling, as well as strafed the water with their guns and initiated a sonic boom in front of the president. The destroyers demonstrated the types of weapons used when ships were recently deployed to the Red Sea.
The crowd on the pier watched the show of Navy force on the video screens. More than 8,000 sailors, SEALs and Marines took part in the demonstration. Among the loudest reactions of the day came when sailors from the Submarine Force cheered whenever the USS Iowa appeared on the screen. USS Iowa is the newest Virginia Class submarine in the fleet, based in Norfolk.
The event also included a flyover by four F/A 18s, timed as the president took the stage on the pier in Norfolk, after he and his party landed on USS Truman by Osprey.
Planning for the show started last year and intensified over the last three months. The demonstration would have taken place even if the president had chosen not to attend, said Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Caudle.
“I'm so thrilled people wanted to come see our president and be part of the 250th birthday of the Navy. I think today was a demonstration of our sea power. They got the President, the First Lady, got to see firsthand what the Navy can do,” he said.
The Navy and the White House have not provided details on the cost for the event. The demonstration can be considered training and comes out of the Navy’s training budget, Caudle said.
“There's never been anything like what was done today. I know that is for a fact. It's never been anything like it in my career, and I've been in for 40 years,” he said.
During the day-long celebration, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) responded to four general aviation planes which violated the airspace restrictions around the event. Two aircraft were escorted to the ground after fighters used flares to get the pilots’ attention. Later in the afternoon, two more planes were monitored until they landed.
Sailors were asked to arrive at Pier 14 by 10 am for an event that ran past 5 p.m. Several sailors in the crowd said they just wanted to see a president. Boatswain's Mate Third Class Darren Paul Jeanjacques was there with several people from his ship.
“I just wanted to come out here to celebrate the Navy’s 250th. Just be out here with everyone and celebrate,” he said.
