U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he intends to increase the country’s military budget by 50 percent by 2027, projecting total defense spending of USD 1.5 trillion, a level that would be unprecedented in U.S. history.

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The announcement was made through a post on the social media platform Truth Social and was presented as a projection rather than a figure formally approved by the U.S. Congress. Trump said the proposed amount would be part of what he called the country’s “military dream” and would be financed through tariffs imposed on other countries.

“After long and difficult negotiations with senators, congressmen, secretaries and other political representatives, I have decided that, for the good of our country, especially in these very difficult and dangerous times, our military budget for the year 2027 should not be one trillion dollars, but 1.5 trillion dollars,” Trump wrote.

The proposal comes amid growing debate within the U.S. political system over defense spending, military deployments, and recent unilateral actions ordered by the White House. These discussions have intensified following the latest U.S. military attack against Venezuela, carried out without prior notice to or authorization from the U.S. Congress.

For fiscal year 2026, total U.S. defense funding already stands at approximately USD 900–905 billion, as established by the National Defense Authorization Act. Broader national defense spending for that same year could surpass USD 1 trillion.

Trump linked the projected increase for 2027 to revenue generated through tariffs, using the measure to justify both his trade policy and the proposed military expansion. “If it were not for the enormous figures generated by tariffs from other countries, many of which in the past have cheated the United States at levels never seen before, I would stay at the figure of one trillion dollars,” he stated, adding that tariff revenues now represent “unthinkable amounts” compared to previous periods.

The projection would significantly accelerate an already upward trend in U.S. military spending. At USD 1.5 trillion, the U.S. defense budget would be roughly six times larger than that of China, the world’s second-largest military spender. International estimates place China’s military budget between USD 230 billion and USD 250 billion, meaning the U.S. projection would exceed it by more than USD 1.2 trillion.

Trump’s announcement is consistent with a broader foreign and security posture marked by military deployments in the Caribbean Sea and repeated threats toward countries in Latin America. This approach has included direct military action against the Venezuelan government, resulting in the detention of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The administration’s use of tariffs has also extended to other regions, where trade measures have become a central element of U.S. foreign policy.

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