President Trump has credited his “Salute to America” Fourth of July celebration with a “big spike” in recruitment for the U.S. military, claiming he has “already heard” about “a lot of people calling in.” “We had a phenomenal crowd last night, and it was a fantastic evening for our country,” Trump told reporters gathered on the South Lawn of the White House on Friday. “You’re going to have a lot of people being recruited, I think, based on that. We're going to have a lot of—a lot of people joining our military,” he said. Noting that the military “has a hard time getting people” due to “job numbers,” Trump predicted that “you’re going to see a big spike. I've already heard it—a lot of people calling in. No place like our military. I think we showed that last night.” At Trump’s insistence, the Fourth of July celebration featured tanks and fighter planes, and the president urged young people in the crowd to join the military, at one point telling them to “make a great statement in life.”
