Trump pledges biggest-ever military pay raise, vows to expand Navy fleet during 250th anniversary celebration

President Donald Trump pledged on Sunday to deliver the largest pay increase in US military history and to continue expanding the Navy, telling service members that “every sailor and service member” will be taken care of despite the ongoing government shutdown.

“We are gathered on this storied waterfront to celebrate 250 years of strength, tenacity, and unwavering courage by the greatest fighting force ever to roam the seas — the United States Navy,” Trump said at the event, held to mark the Navy’s 250th anniversary. “As your Commander-in-Chief, I will always stand for you. I promise you that.”

Trump told the crowd that Democrats in Congress were to blame for the shutdown, but that the funding delay would not affect service members’ pay. “Despite the current Democrat-induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny,” he said. “Don’t worry about it. It’s all coming. It’s coming. And even more because I’m supporting the across-the-board pay raises for every sailor and service member of the United States Armed Forces.”

He added that his administration had committed “over $1 trillion” in military spending—which he described as “the largest ever investment in our military’s history.” Trump said the spending includes new shipbuilding plans alongside the Secretary of the Navy and former Army officer Pete Hegseth. “We’re going to be building lots of ships and doing a lot of things that you haven’t seen happen for 35 years,” he said.

Trump also praised the men and women of the Navy across every branch and specialty. “Our incredible surface warriors are the reason America’s enemies tremble at the sight of a Navy ship, haze gray or underway,” he said. “Every tyrant and adversary on the planet knows their choice is very simple: leave America in peace or be blown up in fire and fury never seen before.”

The president talked about US naval aviators and submarine crews, calling them “the greatest pilots in the world” and “the most lethal weapon in the world.” “They land screaming jets on pitching decks in the dark of night with no room for error,” he said, before turning to the Navy’s undersea fleet. “Nobody knows where [our submarines] are, and what they carry is nothing that carries weaponry like that. And we’re 25 years ahead of any other country when it comes to submarines.”

He also praised the Navy SEALs as “some of the fiercest and most elite commandos in the history of war” and honored the Marines as “the Leathernecks, the Jarheads, the Devil Dogs,” adding that “no roll call of Navy warriors would be complete without them.”

“The US Navy always stands for America,” Trump concluded. “And as your Commander-in-Chief, I will always stand for you.”