The Trump administration is facing heavy criticism for focusing on eliminating DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies while struggling to explain what could be a serious national security issue. This came to light after a journalist received texts from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the Signal messaging app about an imminent military strike on an American target in Yemen.
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, revealed that two hours before U.S. military missiles hit Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Hegseth sent messages in a group chat with top administration officials, including cabinet members, about the attack.
Since the story broke, Democratic lawmakers have voiced their outrage over the risk of sensitive or classified information being shared on an unsecured platform. Many have pointed out the irony, considering this is the same administration that has repeatedly blamed government issues on DEI policies.
U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) weighed in during an MSNBC interview, calling out the contradiction. “This guy who’s firing the Joint Chiefs of Staff over DEI, and getting rid of Black or female candidates because they might not be qualified,” Khanna said, referencing Hegseth’s role in firing Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brown, appointed by President Biden, was only the second Black person to ever hold that position.
Khanna didn’t hold back in his criticism of Hegseth. “Guess what? He turns out to be the most incompetent, unqualified person there,” he said. “I want to talk about merit in this country. Donald Trump has appointed the least meritorious people to these jobs, while people in the Biden administration have actually served with distinction. That’s the real conversation about merit.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) also chimed in, suggesting Hegseth’s competence might be questionable, even joking about whether he was drunk during the incident. “It would be funny if it wasn’t scary!” Crockett posted on social media. “Maybe we need some DEI hires to get this [s__t] together, because the incompetence is overwhelmingly problematic. And if you don’t believe me, just pretend it was Biden or Obama who did this—what would you say then?!”
Jaime Harrison, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, joined the chorus on social media: “Amazing how all this damn projection about DEI comes from people who are criminally unqualified and incompetent!”
It’s not the first time the Trump administration has tied failure to DEI policies. Back in his first week in office, Trump blamed a deadly helicopter crash in Washington, D.C., on DEI policies at the Federal Aviation Administration. “We need our smartest people,” Trump said at the time. “It doesn’t matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. They just need to be talented, naturally talented. Geniuses.” He added, “We can’t have regular people doing this job. They won’t be able to do it, but we’ll restore faith…”
