Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slurred his words while trying to recall the nation's motto — E pluribus unum — to U.S. troops.
During a rant in Stuttgart, Germany, on Tuesday Hegseth spoke about President Donald Trump's executive order ending government diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.
"Back to the basics," Hegseth said. "It's pretty simple principles and it's, at the Pentagon so far, it was driving that culture change, which I know has led to a lot of changes in a short period of time."
"And I have a great deal of respect for the manner in which our uniformed class has recognized the executive orders of new directors and said, hey, this is what we owe back to you," he continued. "But I also recognize that in your formations, in your families, in your communities, that they lead to a lot of change or uncertainty."
"And I just want to put a stop or emphasize that when it comes to the things you've seen, like reversing the DEI, things like that, that to me, again, is about getting back to basics."
Hegseth vowed to "treat every single person, regardless of their background or their gender or where they came from or the color of their skin, the exact same."
"[The military is] the forerunner of racial integration in this country," he insisted. "That's the message that we want coming out of the changes that are made."
"E pluris — E — help me out," the defense secretary said, turning to the crowd for the motto. "E pluribus unum. I need a drink of water. Out of many, one. E pluribus unum."
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"So we're going to, in every way, come alongside you to make sure in every way like the president said his inaugural address: merit-based and colorblind."
Earlier this week, Hegseth signed an order restoring the name of Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg. Though the original Fort Bragg was named after Braxton Bragg, a Confederate Army officer, this week's renaming was to honor Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart.
