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Trump is trying to burn down the American government.
President-elect Donald Trump’s latest pick for Secretary of Defense, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, has already stirred widespread concern over his inflammatory views on women, transgender people, and diversity initiatives within the military. Known for his staunch opposition to what he calls the “woke agenda,” Hegseth’s nomination has sparked a heated debate over his fitness to lead the Department of Defense in Trump’s new administration.
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Hegseth, a U.S. Army veteran who has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and transitioned into conservative media, has cemented his reputation as a divisive figure. Since joining Fox News in 2014, Hegseth has co-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend and other Fox Nation programming, positioning himself as a conservative voice critical of progressive military policies. He has also served as CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, a Koch brothers-funded organization that advocates for conservative veteran issues.
Hegseth has built a brand on his rejection of modern inclusivity, focusing much of his rhetoric on what he claims is the degradation of the military by “woke” policies. His nomination, announced Tuesday, highlights Trump’s ongoing effort to install loyalists in high-ranking positions, even as they court controversy.
In his Truth Social announcement, Trump praised Hegseth as “a true believer in America First” and as someone who will ensure that “America’s enemies are on notice.” Trump’s statement emphasized Hegseth’s toughness and loyalty, qualities the former president values in his inner circle, despite Hegseth’s lack of experience in government leadership roles.
Among Hegseth’s most controversial positions is his opposition to women in combat roles, a stance he elaborated upon during a recent interview with former Navy SEAL and conservative podcast host Shawn Ryan. Hegseth questioned the military’s decision to integrate women into combat positions, suggesting on November 7 that their inclusion could weaken combat units. “Men and women are different,” Hegseth said, framing this difference as inherently disqualifying for women in combat scenarios.
“I love women service members who contribute amazingly,” he said, but “everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated. And complication in combat means casualties are worse.”
He has called for a purge of military leaders who support DEI initiatives, saying, “Generals and admirals involved in any of the DEI woke s--t have got to go.” He also argued that DEI and critical race theory “distract” from the military’s core mission.
In the same interview, Hegseth also took aim at transgender military personnel, whom he argued create “complications” within the ranks.
“The integration of the military racially was a huge success, and it was a huge success because Black men and Hispanic men and others can perform just as well as white guys in any capacity that they’re given,” Hegseth said. “So the reality of life reinforced that the bigotry we saw on the outside should not be tolerated inside the military. And the military did a great job doing that. But now we’re pushing boundaries and lots of different levels that are different than that because men and women are different because being transgendered in the military causes complications and differences.”
His remarks against transgender service members illustrate his alignment with Trump’s previous ban on transgender people in the military—a policy reversed by President Joe Biden early in his term that Trump is expected to bring back. Hegseth has pushed back on inclusive policies that he claims “distract” from the mission, equating a more diverse military with a less effective one.
As if his recent comments weren’t enough to stoke controversy, an old clip of Hegseth resurfaced on social media following his nomination. In the 2019 clip, Hegseth told his Fox & Friends co-hosts, “I don’t really wash my hands ever. Germs aren’t real.”
Watch Pete Hegseth’s bizarre appearance on the Shawn Ryan podcast below.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
