Biden’s Defense Secretary claps back at Tucker: We’re not taking advice from a “talk show host”
After Fox News opinion monger Tucker Carlson went on a misogynistic rant about what he considers to be President Biden’s efforts to “feminize” our nation’s military, newly-confirmed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin did not react well to the baseless attack on gender equity in the nation’s armed forces.
Carlson was accused of blatant bigotry towards women service members with his Tuesday evening comments made on his Fox News program that praised China for its campaign to ensure that the men among its military recruits are not too feminized and called President Biden’s recent moves to restore equal treatment for females as making a mockery of the American military.
“So we’ve got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits. Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It’s a mockery of the U.S. Military. While China’s military becomes more masculine as it’s assembled the world’s largest navy, our military needs to become as Joe Biden says more feminine, whatever feminine means anymore since men and women no longer exist. The bottom line is it’s out of control, and the Pentagon is going along with this.”
Secretary Austin is not only going along with Biden’s efforts, but he also took the time through his press attache to condemn Carlson’s words as particularly repugnant.
“The Secretary certainly shares the revulsion of so many others to what Mr. Carlson said,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Thursday.
Kirby said that the Pentagon still had “a lot of work to do” to become “more inclusive, more respectful of everyone — especially women.”
“We pledge to do better, and we will,” he said. “What we absolutely won’t do is take personnel advice from a talk show host, or the Chinese military. Maybe those folks feel like they have something to prove. That’s on them.”
Ouch!
Other senior military officials concurred with their new boss’s assessment.
Women lead our most lethal units with character. They will dominate ANY future battlefield we’re called to fight on. @TuckerCarlson’s words are divisive, don’t reflect our values. We have THE MOST professional, educated, agile, and strongest NCO Corps in the world. https://t.co/WeqWk6IWDq
— SMA Michael Grinston (@16thSMA) March 11, 2021
Add your name to call on prosecutors to ARREST DONALD TRUMP for his crimes!
This is me, yesterday, conducting a re-enlistment for one of the tens of thousands of women who serve in our Army. Just a reminder that @TuckerCarlson couldnt be more wrong. https://t.co/M1MHe5zHrf
— Patrick Donahoe (@PatDonahoeArmy) March 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/TradocDCG/status/1369708142272057344?s=20
One of the most forceful responses came from the senior enlisted leader at the US Space Command, Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott H. Stalker.
As of press time, Tucker Carlson has yet to comment on or apologize for his poorly received remarks, but you weren’t really expecting him to were you?
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Original reporting by Oliver Darcy and Barbara Starr at CNN.
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