Apocalypse Now: Extreme interpretation of Christian nationalism now guides Pentagon policy
Photo by Jared Murray on Unsplash
sun setting over the clouds
Amy Goodman and Democracy Now!
Photo by Jared Murray on Unsplash
sun setting over the clouds
Amy Goodman and Democracy Now!
January 28, 2025
The Senate has confirmed former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Trump’s defense secretary by just one vote. Hegseth has “very clear” ties to extreme Christian nationalism, as well as a history of alleged sexual assault and abuse. Logan Davis, a reporter in Denver, Colorado, who grew up in the same classical Christian educational movement that Hegseth is raising his family in, explains the problematic ideology that shapes it. Hegseth has endorsed leaders in the community and their beliefs that the church possesses supremacy over worldly affairs, antebellum slavery was a “beneficent American institution” and the U.S.'s global war on terror is a modern-day iteration of the medieval Crusades. Davis says Hegseth's lack of qualifications for his new role means he will likely be “leaning on these controversial faith leaders in his life more than someone with adequate experience” would be — bringing this extremist Christian nationalism into the mainstream.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.
We end today’s show with the Senate confirmation of Pete Hegseth as defense secretary by one vote on Friday night and Hegseth’s embrace of extreme Christian nationalism. Vice President JD Vance cast a rare tie-breaking vote to confirm the former Fox News host and combat veteran, who faced accusations of rape, spousal abuse, repeated public drunkenness, and financial mismanagement of veterans organizations. Three Republican senators joined Democrats opposing. That’s the former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Maine Senator Susan Collins.
We go now to Denver, Colorado, where we’re joined by Logan Davis, a longtime political consultant and columnist for the Colorado Times Recorder, where his recent piece is headlined “Pete Hegseth & I Know the Same Christian Nationalists.”
Logan, welcome to Democracy Now! Explain his record and what you mean by “extreme Christian nationalism.”
LOGAN DAVIS: Thanks so much for having me.
Important thing to understand about Pete Hegseth is that he’s been very clear about what he believes and what faith communities he sees himself as being a part of. He’s written books. He’s appeared on podcasts. In Hegseth’s case, he is affiliated with a conservative sect of Calvinists who have been driving the classical Christian education movement for a long time, which he is also associated with, embrace things like sphere sovereignty, and have been at really —
AMY GOODMAN: Sphere sovereignty?
LOGAN DAVIS: Yes. So, sphere sovereignty is the extreme interpretation of Christian nationalism, referenced in The Guardian this most recent week, in which there is an understanding of different authorities being given to the church, the state, the family, etc. And ultimately, the church is above all of those. So, Hegseth is a member of a faith community that believes in the supremacy of the church over earthly affairs and has pursued that. And I think there’s reason for concern as to which of those beliefs he will bring to the Pentagon.
AMY GOODMAN: So, if you can talk about, for example, his views of women, whether he’s talking about getting women out of combat military, what that means, how that fits into his Christian nationalist beliefs?
LOGAN DAVIS: So, Christian nationalism, of course, has some variety towards it — to it. In Hegseth’s case, he’s a member of a community that very much is led by a man named Doug Wilson, based out of Moscow, Idaho. Wilson has been a lightning rod for controversy over the last few decades for his positions on things like slavery and the separation of church and state and, in this case, whether or not women should have the right to vote. He has said that that was bad for the family. In this community, there is a certain chauvinism.
And I think it is interesting that Hegseth is stepping into this role shortly after we’ve had conversations about women in combat roles, about greater egalitarianism in the military. I would expect that he’s going to see some of that rolled back. And I think that his spiritual leaders and folks like Doug Wilson would be pleased to see that.
AMY GOODMAN: So, talk more about the glorification of the Confederacy as a godly cause within Reformed Calvinist circles and their views of slavery, particularly what Pete Hegseth has said.
LOGAN DAVIS: So, we know that Hegseth has strongly endorsed Wilson’s take on this. Doug Wilson has made the Confederacy a pretty popular trope in Reformed and classical Christian education circles, which has always been interesting to me, given that he is not even a Southerner. Going back several decades, Wilson has really embraced a neo-Confederate strain. Two decades ago, he wrote a pamphlet entitled Southern Slavery as It Was with a guy named Steve Wilkins, who was the head of the League of the South, which is listed by Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. Wilson and Wilkins toured with this pamphlet, which essentially argued that antebellum slavery in the American South was a beneficent institution that kept families together and helped expose Black families to the gospel. So he really argued full-throated that the institution of American slavery was a beneficent American institution.
And we know that Hegseth has studied at this man’s feet. He talks on virtually every podcast he has been on about the most recent thing he has read from Doug Wilson. He seems to have consumed all of his books. He talks about him on podcasts constantly. Most people in American public life do not have a track record of having defended antebellum American slavery. The fact that the incoming secretary of defense firmly sides with a man on the other side of that divide is probably not a great sign.
The Senate has confirmed former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Trump’s defense secretary by just one vote. Hegseth has “very clear” ties to extreme Christian nationalism, as well as a history of alleged sexual assault and abuse. Logan Davis, a reporter in Denver, Colorado, who grew up in the same classical Christian educational movement that Hegseth is raising his family in, explains the problematic ideology that shapes it. Hegseth has endorsed leaders in the community and their beliefs that the church possesses supremacy over worldly affairs, antebellum slavery was a “beneficent American institution” and the U.S.'s global war on terror is a modern-day iteration of the medieval Crusades. Davis says Hegseth's lack of qualifications for his new role means he will likely be “leaning on these controversial faith leaders in his life more than someone with adequate experience” would be — bringing this extremist Christian nationalism into the mainstream.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.
We end today’s show with the Senate confirmation of Pete Hegseth as defense secretary by one vote on Friday night and Hegseth’s embrace of extreme Christian nationalism. Vice President JD Vance cast a rare tie-breaking vote to confirm the former Fox News host and combat veteran, who faced accusations of rape, spousal abuse, repeated public drunkenness, and financial mismanagement of veterans organizations. Three Republican senators joined Democrats opposing. That’s the former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Maine Senator Susan Collins.
We go now to Denver, Colorado, where we’re joined by Logan Davis, a longtime political consultant and columnist for the Colorado Times Recorder, where his recent piece is headlined “Pete Hegseth & I Know the Same Christian Nationalists.”
Logan, welcome to Democracy Now! Explain his record and what you mean by “extreme Christian nationalism.”
LOGAN DAVIS: Thanks so much for having me.
Important thing to understand about Pete Hegseth is that he’s been very clear about what he believes and what faith communities he sees himself as being a part of. He’s written books. He’s appeared on podcasts. In Hegseth’s case, he is affiliated with a conservative sect of Calvinists who have been driving the classical Christian education movement for a long time, which he is also associated with, embrace things like sphere sovereignty, and have been at really —
AMY GOODMAN: Sphere sovereignty?
LOGAN DAVIS: Yes. So, sphere sovereignty is the extreme interpretation of Christian nationalism, referenced in The Guardian this most recent week, in which there is an understanding of different authorities being given to the church, the state, the family, etc. And ultimately, the church is above all of those. So, Hegseth is a member of a faith community that believes in the supremacy of the church over earthly affairs and has pursued that. And I think there’s reason for concern as to which of those beliefs he will bring to the Pentagon.
AMY GOODMAN: So, if you can talk about, for example, his views of women, whether he’s talking about getting women out of combat military, what that means, how that fits into his Christian nationalist beliefs?
LOGAN DAVIS: So, Christian nationalism, of course, has some variety towards it — to it. In Hegseth’s case, he’s a member of a community that very much is led by a man named Doug Wilson, based out of Moscow, Idaho. Wilson has been a lightning rod for controversy over the last few decades for his positions on things like slavery and the separation of church and state and, in this case, whether or not women should have the right to vote. He has said that that was bad for the family. In this community, there is a certain chauvinism.
And I think it is interesting that Hegseth is stepping into this role shortly after we’ve had conversations about women in combat roles, about greater egalitarianism in the military. I would expect that he’s going to see some of that rolled back. And I think that his spiritual leaders and folks like Doug Wilson would be pleased to see that.
AMY GOODMAN: So, talk more about the glorification of the Confederacy as a godly cause within Reformed Calvinist circles and their views of slavery, particularly what Pete Hegseth has said.
LOGAN DAVIS: So, we know that Hegseth has strongly endorsed Wilson’s take on this. Doug Wilson has made the Confederacy a pretty popular trope in Reformed and classical Christian education circles, which has always been interesting to me, given that he is not even a Southerner. Going back several decades, Wilson has really embraced a neo-Confederate strain. Two decades ago, he wrote a pamphlet entitled Southern Slavery as It Was with a guy named Steve Wilkins, who was the head of the League of the South, which is listed by Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. Wilson and Wilkins toured with this pamphlet, which essentially argued that antebellum slavery in the American South was a beneficent institution that kept families together and helped expose Black families to the gospel. So he really argued full-throated that the institution of American slavery was a beneficent American institution.
And we know that Hegseth has studied at this man’s feet. He talks on virtually every podcast he has been on about the most recent thing he has read from Doug Wilson. He seems to have consumed all of his books. He talks about him on podcasts constantly. Most people in American public life do not have a track record of having defended antebellum American slavery. The fact that the incoming secretary of defense firmly sides with a man on the other side of that divide is probably not a great sign.
 |
| THE HORROR, THE HORROR |
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to talk about your background and Pete Hegseth’s background, the community of the Reformed Calvinists, the Hegseth family, and what you were a part of. For example, you grew up in a Reformed Calvinist church that was similar to Hegseth’s, one of his children attending the high school that Hegseth’s child attends?
LOGAN DAVIS: So, I did. I grew up in the Reformed community in and around Nashville, Tennessee. My father is actually a pastor. To his credit and ours, when the Doug Wilson faction, the Community of Reformed Evangelical Churches, splintered off, we did not go with it. However, a lot of the folks in our school, which was a classical Christian school very much affiliated with our church, did. And that’s kind of a whole package, the church and classical school thing.
So, I do know many of the same people as Hegseth. The classical school that he moved to Nashville to send his children to is kind of a bookend to the one that I grew up in. They are on either end of the Nashville area. Several alumni from my school have taught his children. I’m very familiar with the doctrine and the curriculum that they share, because I was taught much of it as a child, less so on the doctrine side as things got a little bit later. We were never, for instance, on the slavery-defending end of things. The curriculum, however, at the classical Christian schools, nearly identical. And I think there’s a lot of reason for concern in there, as well, because there are, for instance, those tropes about the Confederacy or the Crusades and how those things are portrayed. I think that it’s a risky thing to be teaching young children.
AMY GOODMAN: And talk about the tattoos on his body, not just artwork, but the political and religious significance, that go back to the Crusades, Logan.
LOGAN DAVIS: Absolutely. The Crusades are a popular historical trope in this community. During the first couple decades of this century especially, we saw the Crusades kind of resurge in popularity in curriculum and discussion, for the obvious reason that it was being used to impose a kind of clash of civilizations frame on the “global war on terror,” conflicts in the Middle East, and it was being done in such a way as to cast Christian America as the sword of the Lord in that context. With Hegseth’s service and what we know he has said about that, it is pretty clear that his Crusader tattoos are a reference to his service in the “war on terror.”
AMY GOODMAN: So, in this last minute we have, if you can respond to him becoming head of this 3 million-person organization, the charges against him of spousal abuse, of rape, but there were nondisclosure agreements, nondisparagement agreements, repeatedly of public drunkenness and driving two veterans organizations — well, of financial irregularity in running these two organizations?
LOGAN DAVIS: This is the thing about Hegseth — right? — is we can talk about his faith. We can talk about his community. The biggest problems with Hegseth — I mean, his beliefs are troubling, but he is wildly unqualified for this role. He also has a long track record of demonstrating a fairly serious moral unfitness to be in polite society. My biggest concern with that is a man holding these fairly intense, far outside of mainstream beliefs, finding himself in a position well beyond anything he is qualified for or has experience in, I think that that puts us in a position where he is likely going to be leaning on these controversial faith leaders in his life more than somebody with adequate experience for the job might. So I think we do need to be concerned about what —
AMY GOODMAN: Logan, we’re going to have to leave it there. Thank you so much. But we’ll link to your article in the Colorado Times Recorder, Logan Davis. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks so much for joining us.
LOGAN DAVIS: So, I did. I grew up in the Reformed community in and around Nashville, Tennessee. My father is actually a pastor. To his credit and ours, when the Doug Wilson faction, the Community of Reformed Evangelical Churches, splintered off, we did not go with it. However, a lot of the folks in our school, which was a classical Christian school very much affiliated with our church, did. And that’s kind of a whole package, the church and classical school thing.
So, I do know many of the same people as Hegseth. The classical school that he moved to Nashville to send his children to is kind of a bookend to the one that I grew up in. They are on either end of the Nashville area. Several alumni from my school have taught his children. I’m very familiar with the doctrine and the curriculum that they share, because I was taught much of it as a child, less so on the doctrine side as things got a little bit later. We were never, for instance, on the slavery-defending end of things. The curriculum, however, at the classical Christian schools, nearly identical. And I think there’s a lot of reason for concern in there, as well, because there are, for instance, those tropes about the Confederacy or the Crusades and how those things are portrayed. I think that it’s a risky thing to be teaching young children.
AMY GOODMAN: And talk about the tattoos on his body, not just artwork, but the political and religious significance, that go back to the Crusades, Logan.
LOGAN DAVIS: Absolutely. The Crusades are a popular historical trope in this community. During the first couple decades of this century especially, we saw the Crusades kind of resurge in popularity in curriculum and discussion, for the obvious reason that it was being used to impose a kind of clash of civilizations frame on the “global war on terror,” conflicts in the Middle East, and it was being done in such a way as to cast Christian America as the sword of the Lord in that context. With Hegseth’s service and what we know he has said about that, it is pretty clear that his Crusader tattoos are a reference to his service in the “war on terror.”
AMY GOODMAN: So, in this last minute we have, if you can respond to him becoming head of this 3 million-person organization, the charges against him of spousal abuse, of rape, but there were nondisclosure agreements, nondisparagement agreements, repeatedly of public drunkenness and driving two veterans organizations — well, of financial irregularity in running these two organizations?
LOGAN DAVIS: This is the thing about Hegseth — right? — is we can talk about his faith. We can talk about his community. The biggest problems with Hegseth — I mean, his beliefs are troubling, but he is wildly unqualified for this role. He also has a long track record of demonstrating a fairly serious moral unfitness to be in polite society. My biggest concern with that is a man holding these fairly intense, far outside of mainstream beliefs, finding himself in a position well beyond anything he is qualified for or has experience in, I think that that puts us in a position where he is likely going to be leaning on these controversial faith leaders in his life more than somebody with adequate experience for the job might. So I think we do need to be concerned about what —
AMY GOODMAN: Logan, we’re going to have to leave it there. Thank you so much. But we’ll link to your article in the Colorado Times Recorder, Logan Davis. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks so much for joining us.
Trump signs order to get 'transgender ideology' out of military
Agence France-Presse
January 28, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to reporters on Air Force One after departing Florida (Mandel NGAN/AFP)
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order ridding the military of what he called "transgender ideology," in a potentially major setback for LGBTQ rights.
In a series of orders related to the military that Trump told reporters he had signed on Air Force One, he also called for the building of a U.S. version of Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system.
The Republican signed further orders reinstating service members dismissed for refusing to take the Covid vaccine, and extending a wider government crackdown on diversity programs for the armed forces.
"To ensure that we have the most lethal fighting force in the world, we will get transgender ideology the hell out of our military," Trump told a Republican congressional retreat in Miami.
Trump has previously promised to bring back a ban on transgender troops and demonized any recognition of gender diversity.
In his order, Trump claimed the armed forces "have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists" and that "many mental and physical health conditions are incompatible with active duty."
The order said "adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual's sex conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one's personal life."
"A man's assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member," it added.
In a separate order, Trump claimed diversity programs in the military "undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness."
It also prohibited the defense department and armed forces from promoting "un-American" theories suggesting America's founding documents are racist or sexist or advancing discussion on "gender ideology."
The orders came at the start of Trump's second week back in the White House and on the day a welcome ceremony was held at the Pentagon for his new defense secretary, military veteran and Fox News personality Pete Hegseth.
"Thank you for your leadership Mr. President. We will execute!" Hegseth -- who was confirmed last week despite concerns over his inexperience, and alleged record of heavy drinking and domestic violence -- said on X.
Transgender Americans have faced a roller coaster of changing policies on military service in recent years, with Democratic administrations seeking to permit them to serve openly while Trump has repeatedly sought to keep them out of the ranks.
The US military lifted a ban on transgender troops in 2016, during Democrat Barack Obama's second term as president.
Under that policy, trans troops already serving were permitted to do so openly, and transgender recruits were set to start being accepted by July 1, 2017.
- 'Patriots' -
But the first Trump administration postponed that date to 2018 before deciding to reverse the policy entirely, sparking criticism from rights groups.
Trump's Democratic successor Joe Biden moved to reverse the restrictions just days after he took office in 2021, saying all Americans qualified to serve should be able to do so.
While the number of transgender troops in the US military is fairly small -- with estimates of around 15,000 out of more than two million uniformed service members -- their dismissal would reduce US forces at a time when the country is already facing difficulties recruiting new personnel.
Biden's defense secretary Lloyd Austin appeared to criticize Trump's plans during a farewell address earlier this month, saying: "Any military that turns away qualified patriots who are eager to serve is just making itself smaller and weaker."
Transgender issues have roiled US politics in recent years, as states controlled by Democrats and Republicans have moved in opposite directions on policies ranging from medical treatment to what books on the topic are allowed in public or school libraries.
Trump has meanwhile repeatedly promised to build a version of the Iron Dome system that Israel has used to shoot down missiles fired by Hamas from Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
But he ignored the fact that the system is designed for short-range threats, making it ill-suited to defending against intercontinental missiles that are the main danger to the United States.
"We need to immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield," Trump said in Miami, adding that it would be "made right here in the USA."
© Agence France-
Agence France-Presse
January 28, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to reporters on Air Force One after departing Florida (Mandel NGAN/AFP)
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order ridding the military of what he called "transgender ideology," in a potentially major setback for LGBTQ rights.
In a series of orders related to the military that Trump told reporters he had signed on Air Force One, he also called for the building of a U.S. version of Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system.
The Republican signed further orders reinstating service members dismissed for refusing to take the Covid vaccine, and extending a wider government crackdown on diversity programs for the armed forces.
"To ensure that we have the most lethal fighting force in the world, we will get transgender ideology the hell out of our military," Trump told a Republican congressional retreat in Miami.
Trump has previously promised to bring back a ban on transgender troops and demonized any recognition of gender diversity.
In his order, Trump claimed the armed forces "have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists" and that "many mental and physical health conditions are incompatible with active duty."
The order said "adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual's sex conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one's personal life."
"A man's assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member," it added.
In a separate order, Trump claimed diversity programs in the military "undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness."
It also prohibited the defense department and armed forces from promoting "un-American" theories suggesting America's founding documents are racist or sexist or advancing discussion on "gender ideology."
The orders came at the start of Trump's second week back in the White House and on the day a welcome ceremony was held at the Pentagon for his new defense secretary, military veteran and Fox News personality Pete Hegseth.
"Thank you for your leadership Mr. President. We will execute!" Hegseth -- who was confirmed last week despite concerns over his inexperience, and alleged record of heavy drinking and domestic violence -- said on X.
Transgender Americans have faced a roller coaster of changing policies on military service in recent years, with Democratic administrations seeking to permit them to serve openly while Trump has repeatedly sought to keep them out of the ranks.
The US military lifted a ban on transgender troops in 2016, during Democrat Barack Obama's second term as president.
Under that policy, trans troops already serving were permitted to do so openly, and transgender recruits were set to start being accepted by July 1, 2017.
- 'Patriots' -
But the first Trump administration postponed that date to 2018 before deciding to reverse the policy entirely, sparking criticism from rights groups.
Trump's Democratic successor Joe Biden moved to reverse the restrictions just days after he took office in 2021, saying all Americans qualified to serve should be able to do so.
While the number of transgender troops in the US military is fairly small -- with estimates of around 15,000 out of more than two million uniformed service members -- their dismissal would reduce US forces at a time when the country is already facing difficulties recruiting new personnel.
Biden's defense secretary Lloyd Austin appeared to criticize Trump's plans during a farewell address earlier this month, saying: "Any military that turns away qualified patriots who are eager to serve is just making itself smaller and weaker."
Transgender issues have roiled US politics in recent years, as states controlled by Democrats and Republicans have moved in opposite directions on policies ranging from medical treatment to what books on the topic are allowed in public or school libraries.
Trump has meanwhile repeatedly promised to build a version of the Iron Dome system that Israel has used to shoot down missiles fired by Hamas from Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
But he ignored the fact that the system is designed for short-range threats, making it ill-suited to defending against intercontinental missiles that are the main danger to the United States.
"We need to immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield," Trump said in Miami, adding that it would be "made right here in the USA."
© Agence France-
By AFP
January 28, 2025
President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order to start planning for an “Iron Dome” air defense system for the United States, like the one that Israel has used to intercept thousands of rockets.
Trump ordered the defense secretary to submit within 60 days an implementation plan for the “next-generation missile defense shield” designed to guard against ballistic, hypersonic and advanced cruise missiles, including by the development of space-based interceptors.
During the 2024 election campaign Trump repeatedly promised to build a version of Israel’s Iron Dome system for the United States.
However, he ignored the fact that the system is designed for short-range threats, making it ill-suited to defending against intercontinental missiles that are the main danger to the United States.
“Over the past 40 years, rather than lessening, the threat from next-generation strategic weapons has become more intense and complex,” Monday’s executive order said, citing unnamed adversaries’ development of missile launch capabilities.
Trump had earlier told a Republican congressional retreat in Miami that the system would be built in the United States.
Israel has used its “Iron Dome” system to shoot down rockets fired by its regional foes Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon during the war sparked by the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
“They knock down just about every one of them,” Trump said at the Miami meeting. “So I think the United States is entitled to that.”
The president signed several other orders related to the US military on Monday, including one setting the path for transgender people to be banned from the armed forces.
'Happening quickly': Hegseth announces 'Iron Dome for America' on first day as defense sec
Jennifer Bowers Bahney
January 27, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: (L-R) Former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), President Trump?s nominee for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Kash Patel, President Trump's nominee for FBI Director and Pete Hegseth, President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense depart inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States.
Newly-confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Monday — his first day in the job — that President Trump will be issuing a spate of executive orders for the military, including one to create an "Iron Dome" defense system like the one used by Israel to deflect incoming missiles.
REAGAN'S STAR WARS DEFENSE BY ANY OTHER NAME
Hegseth made the comments as he arrived at the Pentagon, where he was greeted by Joint Chiefs Chairman General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., whom Hegseth has disparaged in the past as "woke" while calling for his resignation.
"Today, there are more executive orders coming that we fully support on removing DEI inside the Pentagon, reinstating troops who were pushed out because of Covid mandates, Iron Dome for America. This is happening quickly and as the secretary of defense, it's an honor to salute smartly, as I did as a junior officer and now as the secretary of defense to ensure these orders are complied with rapidly and quickly."
Watch the clip below via CNN.
Jennifer Bowers Bahney
January 27, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: (L-R) Former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), President Trump?s nominee for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Kash Patel, President Trump's nominee for FBI Director and Pete Hegseth, President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense depart inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States.
Chip Somodevilla/Pool
Newly-confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Monday — his first day in the job — that President Trump will be issuing a spate of executive orders for the military, including one to create an "Iron Dome" defense system like the one used by Israel to deflect incoming missiles.
REAGAN'S STAR WARS DEFENSE BY ANY OTHER NAME
Hegseth made the comments as he arrived at the Pentagon, where he was greeted by Joint Chiefs Chairman General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., whom Hegseth has disparaged in the past as "woke" while calling for his resignation.
"Today, there are more executive orders coming that we fully support on removing DEI inside the Pentagon, reinstating troops who were pushed out because of Covid mandates, Iron Dome for America. This is happening quickly and as the secretary of defense, it's an honor to salute smartly, as I did as a junior officer and now as the secretary of defense to ensure these orders are complied with rapidly and quickly."
Watch the clip below via CNN.
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