Military Recruitment Up & RFK Targets Food Dyes | 4.24.25
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What challenges is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth facing?
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continues to take fire, but the commander-in-chief is standing by him.
Pete's doing a great job. Everybody's happy with him.
Meanwhile, military recruitment rebounds after years of decline.
I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, April 24th, and this is Morning Wire. The Trump administration is taking steps to phase out eight synthetic food dyes and issuing warnings about a popular ingredient.
Sugar is poison, and Americans need to know that. It is poisoning us.
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President Trump is standing by embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as new data shows soaring military recruitment after years of decline.
Why is there a change in Trump's stance on tariffs and the Fed?
Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here to break down the trend and what's behind it. Hey, Cabot. So we'll get to these recruitment numbers in a second, but let's start with Secretary of Defense Hegseth, who is once again facing public pressure. What's the latest there?
Well, there's no doubt his tenure at DOD has been tumultuous so far. First, there was what Democrats refer to as Signalgate. Then last week, a number of senior advisors at the Pentagon were fired after an investigation allegedly found they'd been leaking sensitive information to the press. And this week, the negative stories continued after The New York Times reported Hegseth had allegedly shared details of airstrikes on Yemen in a separate Signal chat that included his wife and brother. Now, Hegseth's team says his wife is a trusted confidant and that his brother works at the Pentagon, but the story gave yet more fodder to those who want him let go. But importantly, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have stood by Hegseth's side, offering their support publicly.
We have the highest recruitment numbers I think they've had in 28 years. It's just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that's what he's doing. So you don't always have friends when you do that.
Now, Trump mentioned there those recruitment numbers. What are we seeing on that front?
Well, John, we're seeing a stunning turnaround. Overall recruitment started to dip in 2021 and 22, and by 2023, the Pentagon was in a full-blown crisis. That year, the Army fell 25% short of their recruitment goal, the Navy was 20% below target, and the Air Force failed to reach their goal for the first time in nearly 25 years, falling 10% short.
What are the reasons behind the surge in military recruitment?
2024 did see a slight rebound with the Air Force and Army hitting their target numbers, But it's worth noting the Army lowered their goal that year by 15%, so the numbers are a bit deceiving. And the Navy still fell about 10% short of their target.
But that all appears to be really changing now. Tell us what we've seen so far this year.
Yeah, six months into fiscal year 2025, every single branch is on pace to smash their recruiting goals. The Navy is tracking towards their best year in two decades. The Air Force has seen a 20% spike compared to last year. And the Army, their only problem is finding enough space for all their new recruits. Last year, they had 55,000 enlistments. With six months to go, they're already at 52,000. After years of falling short, they could now double their target in 2025. According to Army Vice Chief of Staff James Mingus, quote, we've seen momentum unlike anything in a decade.
It really is remarkable. What's behind this dramatic spike?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What challenges is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth facing?
0:03–1:45
2
How is military recruitment rebounding?
1:45
3
What actions is the Trump administration taking regarding food dyes?
0:35–0:40
4
Why is there a change in Trump's stance on tariffs and the Fed?
0:40–3:22
5
What are the reasons behind the surge in military recruitment?
3:22–7:16
6
How is politics influencing military enlistment?
7:16–10:01
7
What is the impact of new recruitment messaging?
10:01–11:09
8
Why is public confidence in the military increasing?
11:09–14:50
Speakers
10 identifiedMore from Morning Wire
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