A Republican political strategist gave an icy rebuke of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of a trans slur while touting his changes at the Pentagon.
Hegseth made the comment Monday at the Iowa State Fair, during a "Salute to the Troops" fundraiser at JR's Southpork Ranch, where he appeared alongside GOP Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA). Referencing the administration's rebranding of the Pentagon as the "Department of War," he said:
"At the Department of War, we do training, not trannies," per the Iowa Capital Dispatch. He went on: "Training, lethality, accountability, discipline, readiness — the bedrock of what it means to be an American warrior — is the only focus of our department. Colorblind, gender-neutral, merit-based. That's it."
During a Wednesday appearance on CNN, Shermichael Singleton agreed with anchor Jake Tapper that Hegseth should treat people with dignity even if he doesn't agree with their views. Singleton decried how Hegseth's statements lowered standards for how to treat others.
"I've always had a pretty high bar, even with people I've disagreed with, trying to maintain their humanity," Singleton said. "That's just my personal moral compass."
Singleton then quoted German 19th-century philosopher Georg Hegel because he wrote about "all men yearning for respect, all men yearning for recognition."
"That's my approach, and my advice to the secretary would be: disagree is okay. Having expectations of how you want to lead the military, perfectly fine," Singleton said. "I'll support you on that, but let's not lower the bar in terms of how we treat other human beings."
Singleton stressed, "We wouldn't want that done to anyone on our side."
Hegseth's remark fit a broader pattern of targeting transgender service members, who make up less than 1 percent of the military. The Pentagon moved last year to bar trans troops, and a federal judge has since pressed Hegseth to explain why he champions testosterone therapy for cisgender troops with low levels of the hormone while barring trans personnel.