Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had his first interview on Fox News with Will Cain, which did not disappoint. Hegseth was adamant that military flights in deporting illegal aliens would continue, and DEI initiatives would be excised like cancer from the Pentagon. Curtis Houck clipped and transcribed the meat and potatoes here:
#BREAKING 🧵: Secretary of Defense @PeteHegseth sits for his first interview since his confirmation with friend and former colleague @WillCain....
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 29, 2025
DoD and DHS are in complete partnership behind President Donald Trump's mission to secure the southern border pair and everyone… pic.twitter.com/LlKBM7VD03
Secretary of Defense @PeteHegseth on cutting DEI programs from the military...
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 29, 2025
“[W]e've got our directive coming out today...I think President Trump said it perfect in his inaugural address, which is what we’re reinforcing in our directive as well. The DoD woll be color-blind… pic.twitter.com/XsG9HSyokq
DoD and DHS are in complete partnership behind President Donald Trump's mission to secure the southern border pair and everyone watching the show understands that responsibility was advocated for four years under the Biden administration. We've seen an invasion of criminal gangs, of — of human trafficking, of drug trafficking, that's completely unacceptable. And so, you saw from day one Donald Trump executive orders reestablishing the military — the military specifically — commitment to protecting territorial sovereignty of the southern border, which is a shift. The military has been in support of DHS and rightfully — in — in many ways rightfully so for a long time. We’ve allowed an invasion that needs to stop. The President declares an emergency. We’re committed to that. So, we've sent troops, both National Guard and reserve but also active-duty to southern border, Marines to the southern border, both to assist in CBP and DHS in interdictions, but also to help fortify the border wall that President O — President Biden allowed to — to — to become more delapidated with gaps and now we’re filling in those gaps. Ultimately, we’re also providing for the first time ever, Will, ever — gray tails, as we call them — military aircraft to support mass deportations. As CBP finds criminal aspects and others who are here illegally, DoD is there to support exporting those folks to other countries. Now, in some cases, that's taken some time and President Trump has been very clear with those countries that if you aren't willing to take your criminals back, your illegals back, then we will hold you accountable and things have shifted quickly. In other cases, we want somewhere all still hold them safely in the interim. Criminal illegals. Guantanamo Bay, Will, is a perfect place. I served there 2004 until 2005 Americans think of Gitmo as the — the images you see on your screen — right — the detention facilities with folks from Taliban and al-Qaeda. Those are the people I guarded in camp five and camp six and camp x-ray. That's one part of Guantanamo Bay. The other part of Guantanamo Bay, Will, is a naval station where it has long been for decades a mission of that naval station to provide for migrants and refugees and resettlement, so there are places — this is not the camps. You’re putting criminals in camps where ISIS and other criminals — this is a temporary transit, which is already the mission of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay where we can put up tens of thousands if necessary to humanely move illegals out of our country where they do not belong back to the countries where they came from in proper process.”
[…]
“[W]e've got our directive coming out today...I think President Trump said it perfect in his inaugural address, which is what we’re reinforcing in our directive as well. The DoD woll be color-blind and merit-based. Color-blind as it has be in and merit-based as it should be because as you know better than anybody, DEI sends the opposite signals. It’s picking winners and losers. It’s pitting people against each other based on their color, their background, or their gender. The Defense Department is in the business of fighting and winning wars, the highest of possible states. We want the best people regardless of backgrounds competing for those positions ready to fight accountable to their senior leaders. DEI doesn't do that. Not only does it not do it, it undermines it, so everyone’s going to be treated equally based on merit, so we’re making sure across the Army, and the Navy, and the Marine Corps, and the Space Force that ‘s happening. There is no hedging here, Will. We’re not joking around. There’s no changing of names or softly manipulating something. DEI is gone. We are ripping it out root and branch and we’re getting back to the bases with high standards. And guess what? The force is responding because that’s what they want. They want to be war fighters.”
JUST RELEASED: @SecDef @PeteHegseth memo implementing the ban on DEI in the military: pic.twitter.com/KV7Sd6gGWC
— Kristina Wong 🇺🇸 (@kristina_wong) January 29, 2025
“We are ripping it out root and branch, and we’re getting back to the bases with high standards”—Man, we are back.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 29, 2025
"There is no hedging, no changing of names, or softly manipulating something. DEI is GONE. We are ripping it out root and branch, and getting back to the bases with high standards."
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/lKfP0rOovO
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