Radical Leftism is infiltrating our country. The current administration couldn’t care less about the destruction it’s causing.
But this GOP candidate just smashed the Biden/Harris admin’s woke agenda to pieces.
In a fiery exchange during a Wednesday night debate, Hung Cao, the Republican Senate candidate from Virginia, launched into a critique of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the U.S. military.
Cao, a retired Navy captain and former special operations officer, didn’t hold back, arguing that the armed forces should focus on recruiting “alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts.”
Cao made his remarks during his only scheduled debate against Democratic incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine. The two clashed on several issues, but it was the topic of DEI that ignited the most heated moments. Addressing earlier comments he had made about the Biden-Harris administration’s emphasis on DEI, Cao criticized the use of drag queens in Navy recruitment efforts.
“When you’re using a drag queen to recruit for the Navy, that’s not the people we want,” Cao said, doubling down on his belief that these policies were weakening the military’s focus on its core mission.
He went further, declaring, “What we need is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat ’em, and ask for seconds. Those are young men and women that are going to win wars.” His remarks quickly gained traction on social media, with his campaign’s X account sharing the clip, which garnered more than 2 million views.
CAPT Cao: “When you're using a drag queen...to recruit for the Navy, that's not the people we need. What we need is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them and ask for seconds." pic.twitter.com/1sCSZ8AZVh
— Hung Cao (@HungCao_VA) October 2, 2024
On the other side, Kaine dismissed Cao’s criticisms, labeling DEI as a “red herring” and pointing out that a lack of recruitment was not solely tied to these initiatives. Kaine, who served as Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016, emphasized the importance of highlighting the benefits of military service, such as the GI Bill and leadership training, as a means to attract recruits.
Cao, however, has maintained that the Pentagon’s priorities are misplaced. In a previous interview with the New York Post in August, he argued that the military’s preoccupation with DEI was contributing to other issues, including its ability to properly train and equip recruits.
“We need to make sure that our warfighters are taken care of,” Cao stressed, pointing out that a significant portion of enlisted personnel rely on government assistance programs like WIC and food stamps.
Republicans have repeatedly voiced concerns that DEI efforts are undermining military readiness, with some studies suggesting the policies are ineffective.
The Navy, for example, employed an active-duty drag queen as a “digital ambassador” on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram in an attempt to boost recruitment. The program faced sharp criticism and was eventually scrapped after making national headlines.
Military recruitment numbers have been on a downward trend, with the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard all projected to fall short of their recruitment goals by as much as 25%.
Only the Marine Corps appeared on track to meet its target in 2023, but it acknowledged that just 23% of potential recruits met the medical, moral, and mental standards required for service.
This recruitment shortfall has led to a broader conversation about the direction of the U.S. military, with GOP lawmakers grilling Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley in congressional hearings.
Criticism has been directed at what they see as an overemphasis on “woke” priorities, including critical race theory training. In one high-profile hearing in 2021, Milley defended teaching critical race theory at the U.S. Military Academy, asserting that understanding concepts like “white rage” was important for future Army leaders.
As the Senate race intensifies, Cao trails behind Kaine by more than 10 percentage points according to RealClearPolitics polling averages. The contest is rated as “solid” Democrat by the Cook Political Report, but with tensions high over military policies and recruitment struggles, the debate surrounding DEI in the armed forces is likely to remain a key issue in the months ahead.
And even if Cao ends up falling short in his senate race as the polls suggest, he at least was able to draw massive attention towards the Left’s failures through their constant implementation of DEI throughout the military and the government and it’s many agencies.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
