Secretary of War Pete Hegseth caused CNN host Jake Tapper, along with two other guests, to have a complete and total meltdown live on the air, after delivering comments while campaigning for a Republican candidate where he used the term “trannies” to refer to transgender individuals, which Tapper and company called a “slur.”
A video clip of the segment, which is going viral on social media, starts off with Tapper saying, “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went to Iowa to campaign. He was at the Iowa State Fair Monday, and he used a slur against trans people. Take a listen.” The clip shows Hegseth delivering an address at a campaign event.
“We need guys like this man right here having our back in Congress as we get rid of DEI at the Defense Department, at the Department of War, we do training, not trannies. The only focus of our department: colorblind, gender-neutral, merit-based. That’s it. We want the best,” the secretary of war said. What really blew Tapper’s mind was that Hegseth was out campaigning for someone else.
“I mean, first of all, I’m still just not going to get over the fact of seeing like a current Secretary of Defense campaigning for somebody, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before,” Tapper told his guest, Adrienne Elrod. She agreed with Tapper that it is highly unusual to see a secretary of war out on the campaign trail.
“Correct. I mean, to your point, Jake, it’s not unusual for cabinet secretaries to campaign for candidates, but when it comes to members of the national security team, especially the Secretary of War, Secretary of DOD, you do not typically see those people out there campaigning. First of all, we are at war, so he should be focused on that in Washington D.C.,” Elrod said.
She then took a jab at President Donald Trump, blaming him for the war unfolding in Iran before analyzing the importance of the governor’s race in Iowa. “A war that Trump started, but secondly, no, you don’t see that. Look, I will also say this, Jake. First of all, Iowa is very much a state in play, both at the governor level and the senatorial level this cycle. Obama won it in 2012. That’s the last time a Democrat won on the presidential campaign side in a presidential campaign,” Elrod continued.
Elrod then said that while Republicans have been successful in Iowa over the last several years, Democrats have a good chance at flipping the state. “But it’s a very, very, very marginal state for Republicans, Democrats have very good chances there this year. I think voters are sick and tired of this rhetoric,” she explained.
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“They are tired of the tariffs and how it’s impacting farmers. They’re tired of prices being high. This does not work. This strategy of like, oh, let’s play into the culture wars. Voters are sick and tired of it, especially the independent voters who will ultimately make the decision in these races in Iowa,” Elrod continued.
Tapper rejoins the conversation, speaking with his other guest about Hegseth’s so-called “slur,” saying, “And I just also wonder, Chair Michael. I mean, just calling transgender people trannies like that’s obviously a slur that they don’t like, and people can have their opinions on sports or whatever. But like, there is just something about like treating people with dignity.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video