Trump and Hegseth make trillion-dollar defense promise

President Trump said in the Oval Office today that the upcoming U.S. defense budget will be near $1 trillion, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posting on social media that the massive Pentagon topline is "coming soon."

Trump, in an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the White House has approved a defense budget “in the [vicinity]" of $1 trillion.

“Nobody has seen anything like it,” he said. “We're going to be approving a budget and I'm proud to say the biggest one we've ever done for the military.”

Hegseth later posted on X, thanking Trump.

“COMING SOON: the first TRILLION dollar @DeptofDefense budget,” he wrote. “President@realDonaldTrump is rebuilding our military -- and FAST. (PS: we intend to spend every taxpayer dollar wisely -- on lethality and readiness).”

Neither the Pentagon nor the White House responded to additional requests for comment and it remains unclear when the Trump administration will submit its fiscal year 2026 budget. Some analysts predict the budget could be released in late May, while others say a “skinny” budget might be announced with only topline information and little to no detail.

Trump, it should be noted, felt differently in February when he said he wanted to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladmir Putin to reduce their nuclear arsenals and cut military spending "in half."

The promise of a $1 trillion defense budget also comes as DOD is crafting its own 8% budget “re-look” for FY-26 and beyond, which would cut about $50 billion annually from existing spending and re-allocate toward new priorities.

The Pentagon is also in the midst of cutting between 5% and 8% of its total civilian workforce.

Trump’s promise of $1 trillion also follows the passage of a yearlong continuing resolution that amounts to a cut in defense spending because the topline does not keep pace with inflation, reducing Pentagon buying power.