Trump to attend Hegseth's gathering of military leaders

President Trump said Sunday he plans to attend a large gathering of top U.S. military leaders organized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth early this week.

Trump described the gathering, which will reportedly include hundreds of generals and admirals, to NBC News as "really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things."

“We have some great people coming in and it’s just an esprit de corps. You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’?" Trump told the network in a phone interview. "That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and how we’re doing."

The meeting, organized at the Marines Corps base in Quantico, Va., is scheduled for Tuesday. The Washington Post, which first reported the gathering last week, said the order to attend the event went out on short notice and with no explanation.

The Post, which revealed Trump's planned attendance earlier Sunday, reported that the president's appearance at the gathering adds additional security concerns, with the Secret Service now in charge of securing the event.

An official familiar with the plans previously told NBC the meeting was meant for Hegseth to highlight the military's accomplishments and outline the future of the Defense Department under the Trump administration.

The sudden gathering of hundreds of military leaders stationed around the world in one location comes at a time when the Trump administration has taken an axe to senior military ranks while seeking to focus on what Hegseth regularly describes as a "warrior spirit."

Trump and Vice President Vance downplayed reports about the meeting last week.

“It’s actually not unusual at all and I think it’s odd that you guys have made it into such a big story,” Vance said.

“I think it’s great when generals and top people want to come to the United States to be with our now-secretary of War,” Trump said at the White House on Thursday, suggesting the generals would be "touring equipment sites" and "talking about the newest weapons."