Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Uses Anti-Transgender Slur While Campaigning for Rep. Zach Nunn

During a campaign appearance at JR’s SouthPork Ranch at the Iowa State Fair, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed a crowd supporting Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn. In that speech he said, “At the Department of War, we do training, not t***nies,” and added that the department’s focus is “Training, lethality, accountability, discipline, readiness — the bedrock of what it means to be an American warrior — is the only focus of our department.” Hegseth also asserted that the military operates “colorblind, gender-neutral, merit-based.” The remarks were reported by the Iowa Capital Dispatch and later recounted by Advocate.

The Advocate

The episode occurred amid the Trump administration’s broader effort to exclude transgender individuals from military service. Under President Donald Trump, the Department of Defense pursued a ban on transgender service members, a policy the Justice Department defended despite internal reports that no transgender troops had been discharged. In June, a divided federal appeals court panel ruled that the administration could not immediately enforce the ban while related lawsuits proceeded, and the administration subsequently asked the Supreme Court to review that ruling.

The Advocate

In his own remarks, Rep. Zach Nunn defended his record on transgender issues, criticizing Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott for voting against a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, opposing restrictions on transgender students’ participation in sports, and supporting a law requiring students to use school bathrooms matching their sex assigned at birth. Nunn described the policy as “a locker room for girls” and framed it as “common sense.” The remarks were cited by the Des Moines Register and reproduced by Advocate.

The Advocate

• “At the Department of War, we do training, not t***nies,” — Pete Hegseth, defense secretary

The Advocate

• “Training, lethality, accountability, discipline, readiness — the bedrock of what it means to be an American warrior — is the only focus of our department,” — Pete Hegseth, defense secretary

The Advocate

• “It's a locker room for girls. This is a common sense approach,” — S. Rep. Zach Nunn, of Iowa

The Advocate