Pete Hegseth Mocked by Critics Over 'Obsession' With Transgender People After Using Offensive Slur in Speech
Pete Hegseth has been called out for using a slur.
Sept. 29 2026, Published 5:45 p.m. ET
Pete Hegseth has been mocked by critics and accused of being obsessed with transgender people, as he has repeatedly raised the subject in situations where they argue it is not relevant, RadarOnline has learned.
At an Iowa State Fair military fundraiser on August 17, 2026, Hegseth used an anti-transgender slur while describing his priorities for the Defense Department.
Pete Hegseth's Offensive Slur
Hegseth recently used an offensive slur about transgender people.
"At the Department of War, we do training, not tr–ies,” he said at a Salute to the Troops event.
Hegseth then listed his priorities as "training, lethality, accountability, discipline, readiness" and said the department would be "colorblind, gender-neutral" and "merit-based."
Since January 2025, the Trump administration has continued implementing restrictions on transgender military service, with the president signing an executive order directing the Defense Department to change its policies regarding transgender service members, citing military readiness, lethality, cohesion, and other considerations.
Pete Hegseth's War on Transgender People
The ex-Fox News personality has been open about his opposition of transgender people.
The former Fox News host and military veteran, now serving as Secretary of Defense, has long opposed transgender inclusion in the military.
Hegseth has also criticized LGBTQ issues dating back to his college years. While serving as publisher of The Princeton Tory at Princeton University, he was associated with content that described the "homosexual lifestyle" as “abnormal and immoral.”
He later said some of the publication’s "phraseology or terms or language" was "maybe too sharp." During the Biden administration, Hegseth criticized policies allowing transgender people to serve in the military.
In 2024, he published The War on Warriors, which criticized what he viewed as the military’s embrace of progressive social policies, including transgender inclusion.
He has portrayed those changes as threats to military readiness and the traditional warrior culture he believes should define the armed forces.
Critics Go Off on Pete Hegseth: 'Leave Them Alone!'
Social media users accused Hegseth of being 'obsessed' with trans people.
Online reaction to Hegseth’s remarks was sharp, with some users describing his repeated focus on transgender issues as an "obsession."
Others argued that his language should disqualify him from serving in the Trump administration, while some criticized what they viewed as his continued focus on transgender issues.
"Aside from frequent use of a slur, what is he talking about?" one person asked. "Less than 1 percent of the population is trans, so imagine how few were in the military before they were banned by this administration. Also, they banned them! Leave them alone!"
Another asked, "Why does he constantly have to be hateful?"
Transgender Troops Still Waiting for Separation Pay
Hegseth has to answer why some transgender service members discharged under the Trump administration have not been paid yet.
The controversy comes as some transgender service members discharged under the Trump administration’s policy have faced delays in receiving separation pay.
Democratic members of Congress sent Hegseth a September 23 letter demanding answers after reports that at least 12 transgender service members had not received their full separation payments on time.
The lawmakers called the delays "unacceptable" and said transgender troops should receive the money they were promised.
The Washington Post reported cases involving an Army National Guardsman waiting for a $130,000 payment, an Air Force major and search-and-rescue helicopter pilot owed $340,000, and Texas National Guard member Chloe Shapiro, who was still owed more than $66,000.
Shapiro said she made 100 phone calls to military officials, contacted her senator and representative, filed an inspector general's complaint, and reached out to former National Guard superiors.
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The congressional letter asks Hegseth to provide by October 14 Defense Department communications concerning separation pay for transgender service members discharged under the policy, along with data comparing separation-pay processing times for transgender and non-transgender service members.
The lawmakers said they oppose the underlying transgender military ban but argued that service members discharged under it should receive the separation pay they are owed.
