Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Matt Gaetz Slammed For Throwing Tantrum About 'Wokeism' In Tense Exchange With Defense Secretary

Matt Gaetz Slammed For Throwing Tantrum About 'Wokeism' In Tense Exchange With Defense Secretary
C-SPAN

Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida was slammed after he threw a tantrum about "wokeism" in a tense exchange with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that prompted Austin to accuse him of feeling "embarrassed" of his own country.

Gaetz, speaking during a House Armed Services Committee budget hearing, accused the Pentagon of strategic failures, suggesting they'd prioritized "wokeism" and socialism over military preparedness.


Gaetz pressed Austin about a talk he gave on democratic socialism at the National Defense University. Conservatives seized on the speech as evidence "woke" politics had impacted the Pentagon's prognostications regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

You can watch the exchange in the video below.

Gaetz said:

"You guys said that Russia would overrun Ukraine in 36 days."
"You said that the Taliban would be kept at bay for months."
"You totally blew those calls, and maybe we would be better at them if the National Defense University actually worked a little more on strategy and a little less on wokeism."

Austin defended the Pentagon, saying it obviously had not struck Gaetz "Russia has not overrun Ukraine because of what we've done and what our allies have done."

Gaetz later said the military had dropped the ball on the development of hypersonic weapons, which are primarily intended to be used offensively to destroy high-value enemy assets, including command-and-control facilities. He claimed his criticisms are not about "just the hypersonics."

To that end, Austin praised the United States military as the "most capable, most combat-credible force in the world."

When Austin accused Gaetz of feeling "embarrassed" of his country, Gaetz issued the terse response:

"I'm embarrassed by your leadership."
"It seems the Biden administration is trying to destroy our military by force-feeding it woke-ism."

Gaetz was heavily criticized following the exchange.

A few of Gaetz's critics suggested it is inappropriate for him to question Austin given he has never served in the military and is currently embroiled in a federal child sex trafficking investigation.

Federal authorities are investigating Gaetz on child sex trafficking charges after it emerged the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched a probe into whether he paid a 17-year-old girl and took her across state lines for sexual purposes.

Gaetz denied allegations he violated sex trafficking laws and engaged in other sexual misconduct while in office by citing the age of consent.

Critics seized on these facts and others, saying Gaetz had grossly disrespected Austin.




Conservatives have long attacked the military for its initiatives focused on diversity and inclusion in addition to its efforts to purge White nationalist and White supremacist extremism from its ranks.

Last summer, in a statement designed to denigrate his progressive opponents and the military, Donald Trump Jr. claimed the United States armed forces failed to predict the Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan because its generals were "too busy" learning about critical race theory and gender identity.

Trump Jr.'s statement misconstrued remarks made by General Mark Milley, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, before Republican members of Congress who'd claimed the military is indoctrinating troops by teaching critical race theory, a body of legal and academic scholarship that aims to examine how disparate racial outcomes have shaped public policy via often implicit social and institutional dynamics.

At the time, Milley noted critical race theory is taught at West Point because it's a college.

More from Trending

Halle Bailey's 14-Month-Old Son Recognizes Her In 'The Little Mermaid' In Adorable Viral Video
@HalleBailey/X, Disney

Halle Bailey's 14-Month-Old Son Recognizes Her In 'The Little Mermaid' In Adorable Viral Video

Actor Halle Bailey's 14-month-old son Halo is melting hearts after she posted a sweet video of him recognizing his "mama" as Ariel from Disney's 2023 live-action adaptation of the animated classic The Little Mermaid.

The adorable clip shows the toddler multitasking, fiddling with a toy stethoscope and watching the musical film on the TV monitor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Enola Gay
Alex Wong/Getty Images; PhotoQuest/Getty Images

U.S. Military Dragged After Photos Of WWII Bomber Enola Gay Are Flagged For Removal Due To 'DEI' Purge


The U.S. military is facing criticism for flagging 26,000 images for removal due to "DEI" as part of an ongoing purge initiated by the Department of Defense (DOD), including the Enola Gay, which dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan in World War II.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic/GettyImages

Sheryl Lee Ralph Sparks Debate With Hilariously NSFW Take On How To Win An Oscar

Iconic starlet Sheryl Lee Ralph gave a racy response on what "the fastest way to an Oscar" was following 25-year-old Mikey Madison's Best Actress Oscar win for her starring role in Anora at the 67th Academy Awards earlier this month.

Anora swept the Oscars with five golden statuettes, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Madison), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump; Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore
@patriottakes/X; Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP

Trump Roasted After Suggesting The Astronauts Stuck In Space Might Fall In Love

President Donald Trump was roasted after telling reporters at the White House that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams, who have been stranded in space for eight months and are both happily married to their respective spouses, might fall in love.

Wilmore and Williams are expected to return home later this month, marking the end of a mission that has kept them in space for around nine months. Wilmore is married with two daughters, while Williams is also married and has pet dogs.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman leaning her head back and smiling
smiling girl in pink and white stripe shirt

Compliments People Received That Really Stuck With Them

Everyone enjoys being complimented.

Merely being told that someone likes your outfit, or that your hair looks good is enough to keep you happy for the rest of your day.

Keep ReadingShow less