Donald Trump recently gave a speech dripping with partisan rancor—denouncing opposition politicians and the media—in front of soldiers at Fort Bragg, an audience not used to having to sit through petty political sniping. Worse, that audience of soliders had already been pre-screened for ideological sympathy.

Military.com describes the results of its investigation:

Internal 82nd Airborne Division communications reviewed by Military.com reveal a tightly orchestrated effort to curate the optics of Trump’s recent visit, including handpicking soldiers for the audience based on political leanings and physical appearance. The troops ultimately selected to be behind Trump and visible to the cameras were almost exclusively male.

One unit-level message bluntly said “no fat soldiers.”

“If soldiers have political views that are in opposition to the current administration and they don’t want to be in the audience then they need to speak with their leadership and get swapped out,” another note to troops said. …

Adding to the spectacle, a pop-up shop operated by 365 Campaign, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based retailer that sells pro-Trump and other conservative-coded memorabilia, was set up on-site with campaign-style merchandise on Army property. Soldiers were seen purchasing clothing and tchotchkes, including “Make America Great Again” chain necklaces to faux credit cards labeled “White Privilege Card: Trumps Everything.”

Permitting the sale of overtly partisan merchandise on an Army base likely runs afoul of numerous Defense Department regulations aimed at preserving the military’s long-standing commitment to political neutrality.

This is a big breach of the customary separation between civilian politics and the military. Combined with a politically motivated purge of top generals, it is part of an attempt to make the U.S. military into a partisan organization loyal to a political leader rather than to the United States.