‘No Fat Soldiers’: Military Pre-Screened Troops at Trump’s Fort Bragg Rally For Looks and Loyalty, Per Shocking Report

The Trump Administration handpicked soldiers based on appearance and political leaning for President Donald Trump’s televised visit to Fort Bragg on Tuesday, according to a shocking new report.

The report released by Military.com on Wednesday reveals a lengthy process to curate and coordinate the servicemen that would appear in the crowd — including a message that explicitly stated, “No fat soldiers.”

“If soldiers have political views that are in opposition to the current administration and they don’t want to be in the audience then they need to speak with their leadership and get swapped out,” one note to troops read — according to Military.com reporters Konstantin Toropin and Steve Beynon.

The president visited the North Carolina military instillation to celebrate the Army’s 250th birthday, leading up to a parade on Saturday marked to further honor this event, as well as Trump’s own birthday.

The jubilant response to many of Trump’s remarks — many of which were standard MAGA rally fare — certainly suggested an audience packed with loyalists. The political hits delivered in Trump’s speech to the troops were met with frequent applause and laughter (along with some booing of the press), while campaign-style merchandise was sold in a pop-up shop on Army property.

The Defense Department have traditionally observed a strict adherence to political neutrality, the regulatory protections of which were likely violated through the merchandise sales and enforced screening process. Despite the Pentagon’s longstanding abhorrence of even the appearance of partisanship, the military declined to comment on whether any troops will face disciplinary action or on how in depth any screenings were.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to Military.com that their report was “nothing more than a disgraceful attempt to ruin the lives of young soldiers,” while New York Times opinion writer W.J. Hennigan referred to Trump’s appearance as “just the latest in a string of high-profile efforts to reshape the military more in his own likeness.”

But internally, according to the report, there were objections.

“This has been a bad week for the Army for anyone who cares about us being a neutral institution,” an unnamed Fort Bragg commander told Military.com. “This was shameful. I don’t expect anything to come out of it, but I hope maybe we can learn from it long term.”

Fort Bragg had just recently been renamed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who signed a memorandum to bring back the original name of North Carolina’s Fort Liberty in February.