Inside Trump S Effort To Recruit An Army Of Volunteers Bbc

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 24, 2025, 9:16 AM

inside trump s effort to recruit an army of volunteers bbc

Trump Force 47 is the campaign's effort to recruit grassroots volunteers in battleground states Every weekend, Dean Cottle knocks on his fellow Georgians’ doors to persuade them to vote for Donald Trump in the US election. “What do you have to lose?” he tells them, echoing a favoured argument from his chosen candidate. “Our economy has suffered under the policies of this administration. The immigration is really causing problems.” The longtime supporter of the former president is a “captain” in the Trump Force 47 programme, the Republican Party's effort to turn thousands of battleground state supporters into an army of ground troops for...

But some Republicans in Georgia, a key swing state, have questioned the Trump campaign’s additional, heavy reliance on third-party groups. These groups are new to what is broadly called “the ground game” – the highly personal, door-by-door, call-by-call, flyer-by-flyer effort to win every single last potential voter in an election. President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard to several US cities has drawn a round of legal challenges by state and local officials. Trump argues that his use of the troops is necessary to quell violence in Democratic-controlled cities, crack down on crime and support his deportation initiatives. He has found himself on a collision course with several Democratic state governors, who have resisted these efforts, and who say the deployments are unnecessary and risk escalating tensions. Legal cases have recently been filed in Illinois and Oregon.

As the legal battles continue, here's what to know. The National Guard consists of primarily state-based troops that typically respond to major issues like natural disasters or large protests. U.S. military members attend to patients as part of a program with Panama’s Health Ministry, in Sardinilla, Panama, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump meets with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 24, 2025,...

(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) U.S. military recruitment has made a comeback following a downturn caused primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic, low unemployment and stiff competition from the private sector. Posts circulating widely on social media give President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth credit for this increase, a claim that has been pushed by the president and others in his administration. But Defense Department data shows the uptick began well before Trump’s reelection in November and experts point to actions taken by the military during the Biden administration as key reasons for the increase. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says military recruiting has shot up since the Trump administration's return.

In fact, it's been improving for at least a year, with big jumps in female enlistment. The White House has been celebrating a jump in military recruiting with some of the highest Army enlistment numbers in more than a decade. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on X, America's youth want to serve under the bold and strong America First leadership of Donald Trump. Now, that may be true, but as NPR's Quil Lawrence reports, Army recruiting numbers have been increasing for at least a year. QUIL LAWRENCE, BYLINE: Army recruiting numbers in December and January broke records, according to Pete Hegseth. Here he is speaking last Friday at his first public forum since he became secretary of defense.

PETE HEGSETH: I think we've seen enthusiasm and excitement from young men and women who want to join the military actively because they are interested in being a part of the finest fighting force... LAWRENCE: Hegseth went on to condemn slogans about diversity in favor of unity. The same day, Hegseth signed an order that no one with a history of gender dysphoria would be accepted into the military, though he did say trans people who have volunteered to serve will... According to Army data, they were 15,000 enlistments short in 2022 and 2023. But that turned around in 2024, months before Trump's electoral victory. The Trump campaign is relying on super PACs and volunteers to drive turnout efforts, an unorthodox tactic

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important... At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls.

We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Republican organizers in battleground states are worried that the Trump campaign isn’t doing enough to drive GOP turnout, as Kamala Harris maintains a roughly three per cent lead in national polls and similar margins... After a post-pandemic crisis, military recruiters are on a winning streak again. All the services beat their enlistment goals for the 2024 recruiting year which ended Sept. 30, and they've posted strong numbers so far for this year. What’s behind the turnaround?

The Secretary of Defense says it’s simple. "We’ve already seen a huge surge under President Trump of Americans who want to join," said Pete Hegseth in a video posted on X. "It’s all happened since Nov. 5," he said at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. They say the recruiting successes are being driven by enthusiasm for the president and by Hegseth's focus on tougher standards and on purging the military of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Trump Force 47 is the campaign's effort to recruit grassroots volunteers in battleground states

Every weekend, Dean Cottle knocks on his fellow Georgians’ doors to persuade them to vote for Donald Trump in the US election. “What do you have to lose?” he tells them, echoing a favoured argument from his chosen candidate. “Our economy has suffered under the policies of this administration. The immigration is really causing problems.” The longtime supporter of the former president is a “captain” in the Trump Force 47 programme, the Republican Party's effort to turn thousands of battleground state supporters into an army of ground troops for... But some Republicans in Georgia, a key swing state, have questioned the Trump campaign’s additional, heavy reliance on third-party groups.

These groups are new to what is broadly called “the ground game” – the highly personal, door-by-door, call-by-call, flyer-by-flyer effort to win every single last potential voter in an election. Every weekend, Dean Cottle knocks on his fellow Georgians’ doors to persuade them to vote for Donald Trump in the US election. “What do you have to lose?” he tells them, echoing a favoured argument from his chosen candidate. “Our economy has suffered under the policies of this administration. The immigration is really causing problems.” The longtime supporter of the former president is a “captain” in the Trump Force 47 programme, the Republican Party’s effort to turn thousands of battleground state supporters into an army of ground troops for...

Inside Trump S Effort To Recruit An Army Of Volunteers Bbc

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(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) U.S. Military Recruitment Has Made A Comeback

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