Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has gone nuclear on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs within the armed forces in an effort to turn the American military into a top-notch fighting machine rather than a social program run by woke zealots, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) went absolutely berserk about it in a recent speech.
For reference, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had his berserk rant about DEI when he spoke at the National Action Network’s National Convention on Thursday, April 9. Particularly, he insisted that, as his office put it, “diversity, equity and inclusion are American values.”
Secretary of War Hegseth, for reference, has made fighting DEI in the armed forces a priority. In one series of entertaining posts, for instance, the Democrats’ X account angrily declared, “.@PeteHegseth needs to go.” The Secretary of War then entertainingly responded by bashing the political party and their agenda while noting that he was nuking DEI in the Pentagon, saying, “Your agenda is illegals, trans & DEI — all of which are no longer allowed @ DoD.”
Similarly, immediately upon being put in charge of the Pentagon, in late January of 2025, Secretary of War Hegseth declared, “The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at @DeptofDefense. The Pentagon will comply, immediately. No exceptions, name-changes, or delays.”
In any case, Rep. Jeffries went berserk about the DEI matter during his speech at the National Action Network, doing so during a tiresome ramble about his take on DEI in American history. He began it by saying, “Let’s just check the record. The motto of this great country, E Pluribus Unum. That’s the motto of this great country. Out of many, one. That’s diversity. One of the most important constitutional amendments in this country, a Reconstruction Amendment, the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, contains the Equal Protection Clause. And the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment promises equal protection under the law. That’s equity.”
Continuing, he insisted, “And all across this country, from sea to shining sea, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, when people say the Pledge of Allegiance, they pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. That’s inclusion.”
He then claimed that DEI is, thus, an American value, and that attacks on DEI are attacks on America itself. He said, “So diversity, equity and inclusion, we’re teaching the extremists something. These aren’t foreign values. These are American values. And when you attack diversity, equity and inclusion, you attack the United States of America.”
"*" indicates required fields
Adding to that, the woke Democrat went on to claim that opposing DEI is supporting “mediocrity”, saying, “We have the high ground on this issue, which is why I’m so thankful that Reverend Sharpton and the National Action Network continues to lead it. And here’s the other thing that we know that this effort, attacking DEI is not a serious effort. It’s not about celebrating merit. That’s what they tell you. They’re not trying to celebrate merit, they’re trying to elevate mediocrity. Not trying to celebrate merit, they’re trying to elevate mediocrity.”
That’s when he got to his freakout about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who he ridiculously attacked as incompetent and unqualified, ignoring that Hegseth has led a slew of hugely effective and efficient military actions. Jeffries snapped, “Here’s how we know that’s the case. Just look at who they put in charge of the attack on DEI. Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in American history.”
He added, “You don’t have the standing to lecture anyone. This guy can’t organize a two-car funeral. He was a Fox News host and now he’s the Secretary of Defense. No wonder things are turning out so horrifically over in the Middle East. Pete Hegseth leading the attack on diversity, equity and inclusion. Those are American values.”
Watch him here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video