Trump, Hegseth Want a Mighty Defense Budget With a Massive 'T' in It

Many Ronald Reagan fans—including myself—contend that the Gipper didn’t win the Cold War by bombing the former Soviet Union; he won it by bankrupting them. They simply couldn’t keep up in the arms race, and when they tried, it exposed the economic rot at their core.

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth might be thinking along similar lines, because they want a hefty increase in our defense budget, and they want to cross the trillion-dollar line.

Trump laid out his thoughts during a meeting Monday at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

“We also essentially approved a budget, which is in the [vicinity], you’ll like to hear this, of a trillion dollars,” Trump said while meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “$1 trillion, and nobody’s seen anything like it. We have to build our military, and we’re very cost conscious, but the military is something that we have to build, and we have to be strong, because you got a lot of bad forces out there now.
“So we’re going to be approving a budget, and I’m proud to say, actually, the biggest one we’ve ever done for the military.”

BREAKING NEWS:

Donald Trump is promoting a 1 trillion dollar defense budget. He knows that Russia and China cannot keep up and if they do it will bankrupt them. This is like what Ronald Reagan did to break up the USSR.pic.twitter.com/UF4QA5fN01
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) April 8, 2025

The increase would be a big jump from current spending:

A $1 trillion defense budget would represent an increase of nearly 12% from current fiscal year spending levels. Trump indicated that at least some of the new spending would come from savings found by cuts ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency, although he did not specify any accounts.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated he was 100 percent on board with the idea:

Thank you Mr. President!

COMING SOON: the first TRILLION dollar @DeptofDefense budget.

President @realDonaldTrump is rebuilding our military — and FAST.

(PS: we intend to spend every taxpayer dollar wisely — on lethality and readiness) pic.twitter.com/WcZlNAHgDG
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 7, 2025

The increase, if it happens, would come as Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency are trimming the fat off the rest of the federal government as Elon Musk seeks out the waste, fraud and abuse in so many of our agencies.

Pete Hegseth Requires Everyone in Combat Units to Meet the Same Physical Fitness Standards

The administration is expected to release their budget request sometime later this spring. The president’s goal is simple: he wants to upgrade our war-fighting capacity:

Trump said the extra money for defense will allow the country to purchase new equipment and capabilities needed for the future.
“We’ve never had the kind of aircraft, the kind of missiles, anything that we have ordered,” he said. “And it’s in many ways too bad that we have to do it because, hopefully, we’re not going to have to use it.”

It worked for Reagan. Personally, I'd rather see our tax dollars going to fending off our enemies that watch USAID send it off to fund transgender comic books in Peru.

"Reagan was a national treasure, and if this country is going to bounce back from the many problems we’re facing, we’re going to need a commander-in-chief like him..."

Thanks @Reagan_Library & @RonaldReagan for an incredible day celebrating the Gipper! https://t.co/TEHcZ4HHGX
— Bob Hoge (@Bob_Hoge_CA) June 6, 2024

Team Trump has been thinking outside the box, and it’s refreshing after four years of Biden malaise.

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