Records bust Trump’s bogus military recruitment claim

President Donald Trump claimed credit for an increase in military recruitment, saying, “nobody wanted to enlist” in the days before his election.

"We have tremendous spirit again. Just about a year ago, it was a big story, front page on every paper all over the world, that nobody wanted to enlist in our military, meaning we were way under enlisted. And just last week, it came out that we had the strongest enlistment, they say 30 years, but probably it's maybe ever," the president said last week in Riyadh.

However, CNS News reports military records show enlistments bounced up in the aftermath of the pandemic, long before Trump’s election last November.

READ MORE: 'Evil and depraved': Kristi Noem buried over 'embarrassing' social media post

Defense data reveals military recruitment began to recover after COVID in fiscal year 2023 and continued to grow in 2024. That year, 146,473 people signed active-duty contracts—about 12,000 more than the previous year.

While numbers have continued to rise under Trump, CBS News reports the so-called "Trump Bump" — a term used by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — is “more likely the result of recruitment reforms introduced during former President Joe Biden's term.”

Additionally, despite his claim of the “strongest enlistment … in 30 years,” public data shows the U.S. military is still enticing fewer recruits than it did earlier this decade.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson and senior adviser Sean Parnell said: "the U.S. military has seen the highest recruiting percentage of mission achieved in 30 years.” However, Defense Department reports show the goals recruiters are meeting regularly shift and fluctuate by the month. The Army accessions goal for July 2024, under former President Joe Biden, was 40,200, but the most recent Army accessions goal for March 2025, under Trump, was 24,900.

READ MORE: Republicans have 'no idea' what's coming: Dems delighted as they await budget backlash

See the full CBS News report here.