Introducing a video to his rally crowd, former President Donald Trump claimed that he had knocked out ISIS in “about a month” and he did it with what he described as “the military of the past, let’s call it the Trump military.”
Setting up the video, Trump sought to contrast that “Trump military” with today’s military, which he characterizes as “very woke” and, therefore, incapable. The video presents a series of segments featuring a no-nonsense drill sergeant hazing a soldier until he can produce his “war face” — interspersed with various drag queen portrayals and a uniformed soldier wishing people “Happy Pride.”
Promising his crowd they would get a “kick out it,” Trump’s video got a rousing reception at the rally screening.
Trump has put together this transphobic video about the military pic.twitter.com/n9yGED7Rcn
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 9, 2024
[NOTE: The video used — as its “Trump’s military” clips — scenes from the film Full Metal Jacket, known as a “brutal anti-war satire from Stanley Kubrick, set during America’s war in Vietnam in the 1960’s and 1970’s.”]
But when X user SharrellAnne, who describes herself as an “America First Patriot” and a “Gold Star Wife,” contended that the message in Trump’s military video was effective, she received strong blowback from commenters, many of them military or ex-military.
“Our military is dealing with dismal retention and recruiting numbers right now,” wrote SharrellAnne, “If you knew anything about the majority of the men who are willing to lay down their lives for this country, you’d understand how effective this message is.”
More than one strong reply said that Trump’s message missed its mark, noting that the sexuality of fellow service members was a triviality, a non-issue for the large majority of armed forces personnel.
Prior military here, we dont give a damn if you gay, straight, trans, whatever. We only care that you perform at your job, and you’re not a dirt bag
— Mike (@Jungo_81) October 9, 2024
Veteran here. I honestly didn’t even think the sexuality of the person I bumped with, or trained with. We were all in it together. Through BT and AIT. Maybe it’s YOU who doesn’t understand…about a LOT of things.
— 𝕏 Derrick 𝕏 #BLM (@Spawn_03) October 9, 2024
SharrellAnne answered that comment, cautiously agreeing that sexuality meant little to infantry soldiers, but asserting that wokeness was an obsession at the Pentagon and with the military higher-ups — an obsession that was harming the armed forces.
Objecting to this, another respondent wrote that that SharrellAnne was wrong, suggesting that “the only people talking about it are those who didn’t serve and have an unAmerican agenda.”
You never served & it shows
– Spouses & children sacrifice, but that is NOT the same as service
– Your husband isn’t “the majority”
Most military members only care about serving with qualified people
– Most don’t care who others have consensual sex with because it’s irrelevant
— AJ Nash (@AJNIntel) October 10, 2024
Another respondent said their own experience didn’t bear out the anti-woke narrative SharrellAnne was pushing.
I’m sorry to see you are a gold star family member, and respectfully honor their ultimate sacrifice.
But you aren’t accurate. I served when DADT was in effect. We knew exactly who was lgtbq, we didn’t care as long as they were a good soldier, then we % had each other’s six.
— 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝗺𝗼 (@nibble4bits) October 10, 2024
SharrellAnne replied that the veteran above wouldn’t recognize today’s military, which she asserts has vastly changed recently, a point that echoes Trump’s claim.
Another Gold Star spouse disagreed entirely with SharrellAnne’s support for Trump’s video and her assertion that the U.S. military was woke and therefore weakened, calling the notion “misguided.”
In the spirit of diplomacy, I will simply characterize those statements as misguided.
I speak to this both as a professional& as a Gold Star spouse, a deeply personal perspective. I speak also on behalf of my husband: what he stood for & for those he served side by side with
— Hemingway The Dog Mom (@cjprof4) October 9, 2024
Lurking in the background of these arguments is the fact that Trump himself never served, having received multiple deferments during the Vietnam War. And while he enjoys support among many service members, it deeply disturbs many others when he denigrates the military. Both rank and file and military brass — some of whom openly backing Kamala Harris — take issue with the former President’s criticism and conduct.