Trump, Hegseth Drop Hard Hitting Military Ad at NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 [WATCH]

The Department of Defense debuted a new military recruitment advertisement during Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race, featuring narration from President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The ad emphasized a shift in focus toward traditional warfighting priorities and marked a high-profile push to further strengthen military recruitment efforts under the current administration.

The ad opened with Hegseth declaring a departure from policies embraced under previous leadership.

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“No more distractions. No more electric tanks. No more gender confusion. No more climate change worship. We are laser-focused on our mission of war fighting,” he said, as visuals of U.S. service members training and operating in combat zones played on screen.

President Trump followed with a message highlighting the administration’s guiding principle of military strength as a deterrent.

“Through our power and might, we will lead the world to peace. Our friends will respect us, our enemies will fear us, and the whole world will admire the unrivaled greatness of the United States military,” Trump said.

This just aired at #cocacola600 @CLTMotorSpdwy pic.twitter.com/A8y9vTRDI2

— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) May 26, 2025

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The phrase “peace through strength” appeared throughout the ad and has been a recurring theme in both Trump and Hegseth’s messaging regarding defense policy since the 2024 election.

NEW U.S. MILITARY AD HITS HARD🇺🇸

“We are laser focused on our mission of warfighting… Our friends will respect us, our enemies will fear us, and the whole world will admire the unrivaled greatness of the United States Military” pic.twitter.com/jdm3MikswO

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 27, 2025

Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense, served as grand marshal of the Coca-Cola 600.

NEWS | U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will serve as grand marshal for the Coca-Cola 600, along with representatives from the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Navy.

READ MORE 📰: https://t.co/iwMSXl6eJN pic.twitter.com/4EentWBZ4D

— Charlotte Motor Speedway (@CLTMotorSpdwy) May 16, 2025

The annual event included several tributes to military service members and their families, such as a flyover, special recognition for Gold Star families, a luncheon, and the 600 Miles of Remembrance ceremony.

“It’s an honor to return to the Coca-Cola 600 as the historic event’s grand marshal,” Hegseth said.

“I’ll never forget attending in 2022 — the overwhelming sense of patriotism, the unity of the crowd and the deep respect shown to our men and women in uniform. This event is a powerful tribute to those who serve and sacrifice for our freedoms.”

The recruitment campaign comes after a series of policy reversals from the Trump administration aimed at eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs from the Department of Defense.

Hegseth has led that effort, ordering a department-wide review of all DEI-related programming earlier this year.

Last week, the Pentagon confirmed that the review had concluded and the programs had been fully removed.

“The secretary’s guidance to eradicate DEI in the department was faithfully implemented across all of our many installations,” said Tim Dill, the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

“Each of the services had already implemented the policies and certified completion to the task force. This was our leadership’s chance to go and validate the completion that had been reported to us.”

Hegseth has been outspoken on the matter, stating repeatedly that “DEI is dead at DoD” and criticizing the former slogan “diversity is our strength” as “the single dumbest phrase in military history.”

The Defense Department’s renewed focus on warfighting and traditional readiness appears to have coincided with an uptick in recruitment numbers across multiple branches.

While recruitment began to recover during the final year of the Biden administration, the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps have all reported record application numbers since Trump’s return to office.

Both Trump and Hegseth have credited the resurgence to a return to core military values and the removal of what they describe as politicized distractions from defense operations.

The recruitment ad aired to a packed crowd at Charlotte Motor Speedway and reached millions watching the Memorial Day weekend race broadcast, reinforcing the administration’s commitment to strengthening the military.

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