It seemed more like a Saturday Night Live skit than stark reality. Picture 800 accomplished generals and admirals, leaders who rose through the ranks over their professional lifetimes to command the world’s greatest military forces, all gathered in one room. They have been summoned from strategic military posts around the world. On the stage lecturing to them is Secretary of Defense Brian “Pete” Hegseth, a former National Guard major, volunteer warrior, and Bronze Star recipient who rose to become a mouthpiece on Fox and Friends Weekend.
“It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world, it’s a bad look,” Hegseth says. “So whether you’re an Airborne Ranger or a chair-borne Ranger, a brand new private or a four-star general, you need to meet the height and weight standards and pass your PT test.”
There is no PT test, so Hegseth announces he is creating one. “Today, at my direction, every member of the joint force at every rank is required to take a PT test twice a year, as well as meet height and weight requirements twice a year, every year of service.”
“It all starts with physical fitness and appearance,” he says. “If the Secretary of War (himself) can do regular, hard PT, so can every member of our joint force.”
In America, the leader of our joint force is the commander-in-chief. Right after Hegseth’s fitness speech out walks our protuberant, overweight Commander-in-Chief Donald J. Trump.
A bad look Pete?
Not to be outdone, the president, who did not comment on his physical fitness, had his own surreal moment.
The generals and admirals sat stoically with their hands clasped during and at the end of Hegseth’s 45-minute oration.
The lack of applause caught Trump’s attention. That is not the sort of audience he likes. So he begins with this: “I never walked into a room so silent before. (Laughter) If you want to applaud you applaud. And if you want to … do anything you want, you can do anything you want. If you don’t like what I’m saying you can leave the room. And there goes your rank, there goes your future.” (Laughter)
He got them to laugh, but after an hour of rambling, self-adulating, anti-Biden remarks there is no applause.
Watch on YouTube and see if you would applaud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhGeNPJlIK4
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” – Romans 2:12.
Bill Crawford is the author of A Republican’s Lament: Mississippi Needs Good Government Conservatives.
