Pete Hegseth slammed for using disturbing slur in bizarre rant on Department of War
Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community which some readers may find distressing.
Pete Hegseth finished his State of the Force address at Quantico on Wednesday to a standing ovation, but it was one line from the speech that has since set social media alight.
Speaking to hundreds of junior officers and enlisted troops at the Martine Corps Base in Virginia, the defense secretary said: "We are no longer the woke department or the weak department."
He then summed up who he believes has no place in the military: "no fatties, no t*****s, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals, just warriors, just tough, ready, committed troops."
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The word used is a transphobic slur, with GLAAD describing it as ‘one of the most extreme slurs for a trans person’, saying it is ‘commonly used to humiliate and degrade transgender individuals’.
The response to Hegseth's words has been a frosty one, with one person writing online: "This isn’t the military I grew up respecting. America’s strength was never 'everybody look alike, think alike, worship alike'.
"It was taking Americans from every background, putting them behind ONE mission, and letting the best ideas and best people go to work."
Another added simply: "You sound like a deranged toddler."
While someone claimed: "You are one hateful dude and a really bad leader."
Hegseth's speech closed with a run of new Pentagon plans, with Hegseth saying he is creating an 'autonomous warfare command' for robotics, which he described as the equivalent of the military's geographic and functional combatant commands.
He pointed out three civilians in the audience: Elon Musk, Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey and former House speaker Newt Gingrich. Calling them ‘three of our nations' best minds’, he said they would lead Project Meridian, a new effort to study the future of warfare, and that he would meet them at a secure facility on the base straight after his remarks.
Hegseth also said he wants to build a 'fortress' somewhere in the US, with state governors competing to host it by offering hundreds of thousands of acres.
Tens of thousands of troops now stationed overseas would be based there, though he did not say which countries would see reductions.
Pointing to reporters at the back of the room, he accused ‘anti-American losers in our media’ of aiding the country's enemies through their coverage of the war in Iran. "It's treason, actually," he said.
Frank Kendall, who served as Air Force secretary under Joe Biden, said to reporter Kaitlin Collins: "This secretary... he's doing active harm to the Department of Defense."
He added that the 'climate of fear that has been created is very palpable'.
Since 2025, Hegseth has fired or blocked promotions for more than 80 generals and admirals. They include Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
CNN reported, citing Pentagon officials, that Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll recently resigned amid clashes over Hegseth's focus on culture-war issues.
Hegseth declared victory in the Iran war weeks after it began, but it has now stretched into a seven-month campaign.
Thousands of Iranians and 18 US service members have been killed, and a Republican congressman is leading a drive to impeach him.
The reception also differed from last September's Quantico event, which was greeted by stone-faced generals and admirals.
"The senior officers listened respectfully and quietly, making it clear by their decorum that they were nonpartisan," said Duke University professor Peter D. Feaver.
UNILAD has approached the White House and the Department of War for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT national hotline at 888-843-4564, available Monday to Friday 4pm-12am ET and 12pm-5pm ET on Saturdays.
Thomas Bamford