Trump Proposes Shifting Federal Spending to Military, Cutting Domestic Programs

Political analyst says president's rare 'on the nose' remarks reveal awareness of economic crisis

Apr. 5, 2026 at 12:57pm

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In a recent speech, former President Donald Trump surprised political analysts by making remarks that were 'on the nose' regarding his plans to prioritize military spending over domestic social programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and daycare. According to political commentator Jonathan Cohn, Trump's usually braggadocious and reality-bending manner was absent, suggesting the president has 'lost his mojo' and is aware of the economic challenges facing the country.

Why it matters

Trump's candid remarks about shifting federal spending away from social programs to focus on military protection represent a rare moment of transparency from the former president, who typically tries to deny that Republican policies starve social programs to fund the military. This could signal a shift in the political landscape as the economic crisis puts pressure on the government's spending priorities.

The details

In a speech at the White House Easter luncheon, Trump said the federal government cannot afford to take care of programs like daycare, Medicaid, and Medicare, and that states should be responsible for funding those initiatives, even if it means raising taxes. He said the federal government's sole focus should be on 'military protection' to 'guard the country.' Cohn notes that Trump's remarks align with the administration's recently released budget proposal for fiscal year 2027, which calls for a $1.5 trillion increase in defense spending offset by a 10% reduction in domestic spending.

  • On April 5, 2026, Trump made the remarks during a speech at the White House Easter luncheon.
  • Two days after Trump's speech, the administration released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2027.

The players

Donald Trump

The former president of the United States who made the remarks about shifting federal spending priorities.

Jonathan Cohn

A political commentator who analyzed Trump's remarks and suggested they signal the president has 'lost his mojo' and is aware of the economic challenges facing the country.

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What they’re saying

“We're fighting wars, we can't take care of daycare. You've got to let a state take care of daycare, and they should pay for it, too. They should pay—they'll have to raise their taxes, but they should pay for it. And we could lower our taxes a little bit to them, to make up for—but we—it's not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things.”

— Donald Trump, Former President

“Typically, Republican leaders try very hard to deny they are starving social programs to fund the military, leaving Democrats to make the case on their own. Yet here was Trump coming right out and saying it.”

— Jonathan Cohn, Political Commentator

“In fact, just two days after he made those remarks, his administration released its budget for fiscal year 2027. It envisions a $1.5 trillion increase for defense, then proposes to offset that cost with a 10 percent reduction in domestic spending.”

— Jonathan Cohn, Political Commentator

What’s next

The administration's budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 will need to be approved by Congress, setting up a potential battle over federal spending priorities.

The takeaway

Trump's candid remarks about shifting federal spending away from social programs to focus on the military represent a rare moment of transparency from the former president, who typically tries to deny that Republican policies starve social programs to fund the military. This could signal a shift in the political landscape as the economic crisis puts pressure on the government's spending priorities.