Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Uses Transphobic Slur in Speech at Iowa State Fair

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has sparked controversy after using a transphobic slur at a recent event.

While speaking in support of Iowa Rep. Zach Nunn’s reelection campaign at the Operation Top Nunn: Salute to the Troops military fundraiser at the Iowa State Fair on Monday, August 17, Hegseth, 46, spoke on the anti-DEI policies at the U.S. Department of Defense.

“At the Department of War, we do training, not tr***ies,” he said via the Iowa Capital Dispatch and CNN, using a slur to refer to transgender people. “It is a day and night difference.”

Hegseth continued, “Training, lethality, accountability, discipline, readiness — the bedrock of what it means...