And look at what we’re being asked to celebrate. The president of the United States and his top advisors will be sitting ringside while two men beat each other bloody inside a cage, calling it the “warrior ethos.” This is not military
service or sacrifice. It’s not courage in defense of others either. It’s a cage fight. That distinction matters. Because this entire event is built around a very specific idea of strength. One rooted in domination, intimidation, and spectacle.
The same idea woven throughout the video Trump shared tonight. The same idea behind the promises that our enemies will fear us. And the same idea behind turning the White House lawn into an arena.
And maybe that’s what feels so unsettling about all of this. They keep trying to convince us we’re looking at strength. But truly strong leaders don’t need constant displays of force to prove they are powerful.
They don’t need military montages, chants about warriors, or cage fights on public grounds. The more this administration tries to perform strength, the more it reveals its desperation. That is what we see, and that is what our enemies see.
Donald Trump is making a mockery of the United States

At 5:07 p.m. tonight, a video was posted on Donald Trump's official Truth Social account. At just one minute and thirty seconds long, it played eerie and unsettling music as it jumped from scene to scene. Bombs falling on targets below. Soldiers storming beaches. Rockets launching into the sky. Military vehicles erupting into flames. Trump declared, “The Warrior Ethos is BACK.” All while promoting the message of "Peace Through Strength."

Heather Delaney Reese