MOM KNOWS BEST, DON'T YOU THINK? OOPS, SHE'S A WOMAN...

Anti-woman remarks and actions

Combat role comments: Pete Hegseth has a history of stating that women should not serve in combat roles. In a podcast appearance in late 2024, before his confirmation, he said, "I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated."

Though he later praised women in the military during his confirmation process, critics say he continued to push policies that would restrict their roles.

"Return to the male standard": In a September 2025 speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Hegseth announced 10 new directives, including returning to "the highest male standard" for combat roles. This move was widely condemned by female veterans and political figures. Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Army veteran and combat pilot, called the remarks "discriminatory," noting that women who are qualified for combat already meet the same high standards as men.

Marine pilot veteran Amy McGrath described Hegseth's comments as "insulting," and other veterans and female servicemembers disputed his claims that military standards had been lowered. When asked what his new policies would mean for women, Hegseth replied, "If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is".

Amplifying anti-suffrage content: In August 2025, Hegseth reposted a video from the conservative news outlet CNN on X, in which Christian nationalist pastors suggested that women should not be allowed to vote. The video highlighted pastors from the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a group with which Hegseth is associated, who expressed views that voting should be conducted by male heads of household.

In response, the Congressional Democratic Women's Caucus chair called the repost "disgusting and shameful" and demanded that Hegseth denounce the message and affirm his commitment to the 19th Amendment.

Sexual misconduct allegations: During his confirmation in January 2025, Hegseth faced allegations of sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement from his time leading two non-profit veterans' groups. According to a report by The New Yorker, he previously paid a confidential settlement to a woman who had accused him of raping her in 2017. The allegations were a focus of his Senate confirmation hearing.