Pete Hegseth Uses Transphobic Slur Again During Military Recruitment Tour at Texas A&M University

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth used a transgender slur on Saturday, September 19, while speaking to the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets in College Station, Tx. He made the remarks during the opening stop of his "Send Me" tour, a military recruitment-focused speaking series.

While backing a military infrastructure focused on combat readiness and merit, Hegseth repeated a phrase targeting transgender individuals.

Hegseth told the crowd that the Department of Defense is focused strictly on military preparation, declaring, "No more t-------, just training!"

Hegseth vehemently argued that the military must eliminate identity politics, critical race theory and DEI offices to focus solely on training, "lethality" and alliance.

This marks the second time in roughly a month that Hegseth has used this specific slur in a public forum. On August 17, he used the same "training, not t-------" line while campaigning for Republican Rep. Zach Nunn at the Iowa State Fair.

Following Hegseth's initial use of the slur at the Iowa State Fair, media columnist Ja'han Jones argued his rhetoric serves as a political smokescreen, saying, "The defense secretary's bigoted machismo can't mask his inability to bring [ongoing foreign conflicts] to an end... The Trump regime's bigotry and bravado can't shield its ineptitude."

The slur has become a standard element of Hegseth’s speech repertoire rather than an off-the-cuff gaffe.

The rhetoric aligns directly with strict actions the administration has taken regarding LGBTQ+ personnel.

Hegseth reinstated a complete ban on transgender individuals joining the military and paused gender-transition medical procedures for active personnel.

In June, a federal appeals court panel . However, the Supreme Court allowed enforcement to proceed while the litigation plays out, and the administration has petitioned the high court to let the Pentagon fully enforce the ban.

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, such as the Human Rights Campaign, and several Democratic lawmakers have heavily condemned the remarks. Certain critics argue that utilizing derogatory slurs demeans active service members and contradicts his stated goal of creating a strictly "merit-based" military.

In a joint statement challenging the administration's military restrictions, Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation stated: "This ban has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice. Transgender individuals meet the same standards as all who serve."

Vermont’s Democratic Rep.Becca Balint criticized Hegseth's implementation of mandatory annual testosterone screening for male troops while simultaneously restricting gender-affirming care for transgender personnel, pointing to what she termed hypermasculine hypocrisy.

In an opinion piece for The Capital Times, political commentator Bob Chernow argued that Hegseth's hyper-focus on rigid gender lines undermines the modern needs of the armed forces.

"He talks about 'masculine values' like they are an endangered species... Brains are now important to operate cybersecurity, drones, languages, codes... Many of these positions are filled by women and gays. After all, you don't need to bench-press weights to operate a drone,” Chernow wrote.

USA Today columnist Sara Pequeño blasted Hegseth’s obsession with testosterone tracking — as a symptom of a larger fixation, saying, "...another chapter in President Trump's obsession with biological s-- – ensuring Republicans' views on gender are the only ones that matter."

In response to the backlash, Hegseth and his supporters claimed that eliminating LGBTQ+-inclusive programs is required to rebuild what they view as a compromised "warrior ethos." After implementing the restrictions, Hegseth explicitly declared on social media: "TRANS is out at the DOD... This is the president's agenda; this is what the American people voted for."