The Washington Examiner’s Kaylee McGhee White pushed back against criticism of President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense, arguing his assessment of the military is valid.
Part of the opposition to Hegseth, a veteran and Fox News anchor, relates to his criticism of the U.S. military’s embracement of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, a topic many have taken issue with in recent years. Jim Kessler, a former policy director for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), argued that his opposition to having Hegseth as defense secretary is unrelated to the nominee’s criticism of DEI but rather that Hegseth is “wholly unqualified” for the role due to his lack of experience.
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White, a Restoring America editor for the Washington Examiner, responded to Kessler’s comments by stating the Pentagon is “legitimately scared” of Hegseth, pointing to how the Defense Department is spending “around $86 billion” on DEI initiatives.
“And as someone whose brother has served in the Navy for a decade, that’s insulting to me,” White said on Fox News’s America Reports. “It doesn’t make any sense why my brother should be required to sit in trainings about ‘white rage’ and about how he could be a better soldier by keeping his white supremacy in check when all he does is dutifully serve his country honorably. And Pete Hegseth wants to root that out. I think that’s a very noble aim, and I think that the opposition does stem toward his opposition to those things.”
White also referenced the Biden-Harris administration’s “total rewrite” of Title IX, stating the administration attempted to strong-arm the nation into embracing this rewrite, and voters chose to “rebuke” it by voting for Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris. In August, the Supreme Court denied the application of the Title IX rewrite.
Kessler was also asked if he believes the Democratic Party needs to recalibrate itself if it wants to avoid losing future elections, to which he argued both parties need to recalibrate. He questioned how former Rep. Matt Gaetz could be nominated for attorney general amid his controversies, prompting White to suggest to Kessler he should ask the voters this question.
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Following his nomination for Trump’s defense secretary, Hegseth defended himself over repeated accusations that his tattoos were associated with white nationalism. An Associated Press article revealed that Hegseth was removed from National Guard duty during President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 because a tattoo on his bicep, reading “Deus Vult,” was deemed enough to consider him a possible “insider threat,” even though the Latin phrase means “God Wills It.”
Trump’s transition team has also stood by Hegseth amid sexual assault accusations, as Trump’s nominee has “vigorously denied any and all accusations.” The former president’s team has also stated that he is nominating “extremely qualified candidates to serve in his administration.”