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Trump Leads Navy 250 ‘Salute to the Fleet’ at Norfolk as Shutdown Continues

Thousands of sailors and families attended, with activists demonstrating nearby.

The USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier sails in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Norfolk, Va., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
First Lady Melania Trump and U.S. President Donald Trump disembark from Air Force One after landing at Naval Station Norfolk before they visit the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier on October 5, 2025 in Norfolk, Virginia. | (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
United States President Donald J Trump delivers remarks to a crowd at an America250 rally in Des Moines, Iowa, United States on July 3, 2025. Photo by Kyle Mazza / UNF News via CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM
Crew members stand on the flight deck aboard the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Norfolk, Va., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Overview

  • President Donald Trump delivered remarks at Naval Station Norfolk to mark the Navy’s 250th anniversary, joined by first lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan.
  • Event organizers billed the celebration as America’s Navy 250: Titans of the Sea, with thousands of service members and families in attendance about a week before the Navy’s official birthday.
  • The celebration proceeded during a federal shutdown that has left active-duty personnel working without pay, furloughed many civilian employees and paused some projects in major cities.
  • Local activists from the COVA Visibility Brigade protested in Norfolk, calling for an end to the shutdown as the presidential salute went forward.
  • Trump spoke aboard the USS Harry S. Truman and earlier visited the USS George H.W. Bush to greet sailors and hand out challenge coins, while recent Hegseth directives on military culture and fitness remained a backdrop to the week’s events.