In a recent episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight, the famed Fox News host criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the United States military’s priorities.
Carlson discussed the Chinese communist regime addressing a lack of masculinity in Chinese boys while possessing the world’s largest Navy fleet compared to the Biden administration’s focus on accommodating women in the military, urging it makes a “mockery” of our nation’s armed forces.
In a recent speech, Biden went over the efforts, such as tailoring uniforms specifically for women, designing “maternity flight suits,” and relaxing hairstyle regulations, the Epoch Times reports.
Carlson shared his thoughts, as he does on every episode of his show: “So we’ve got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits. Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It’s a mockery of the U.S. military.”
While some took the segment for what it was - criticizing the Biden administration - others took it as Carlson opposing women in the military.
On March 12, the Twitter account of II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group posted a photo of a female Marine carrying another Marine, captioned: “What it looks like in current armed forces @TuckerCarlson. Get it right before you get left, boomer.”
The tweet has since been deleted, and the USMC account responded to heaps of backlash with the following: “We are human and we messed up. We intended to speak up for female marines and it was an effort to support them. They are a crucial part to our corps and we need them to know that. We will adjust fire and ensure utmost professionalism in our tweets.”
“We’ve strayed away from our brand and realize that. Our standard practices will be in effect and you can count on us to correct our mistake going forward,” they added.
“We are here to train, fight and win. That tweet was intended to defend our women in uniform. We understand it was aggressive and we will reflect and do better.”
In response to the nonsense, Sen. Ted Cruz requested a meeting with the military personnel involved in launching the “political attacks.”
“Under Biden, the military is launching political attacks to intimidate Tucker Carlson & other civilians who criticize their policy decisions,” Cruz wrote in a tweet. “Officials in uniform are being used for the campaign. I’ve demanded a meeting with the Commandant of the USMC to put a stop to it.”
Cruz noted that members of the U.S. military are prohibited from engaging in partisan politics in their official capacities, and pointed out that a number of military officials - using their official Twitter accounts - attacked Carlson over his views.
He also shed light on several statements from individuals in the military, including one from the Space Force Command’s senior enlisted leader, Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, who said in a video that Carlson’s opinion is “based on zero days of service in the armed forces.”
Army Sgt. Major Michael Grinston also criticized Carlson, while Defense Department spokesman John Kirby, a retired rear admiral and former CNN analyst, wrote a statement saying, “Press Secretary Smites Fox Host That Dissed Diversity in U.S. Military.”
In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Cruz wrote that he is “deeply troubled” by how the Pentagon has “[mobilized] systematic, public attacks against television host Tucker Carlson that in substance, tone, and political resonance are inexplicably inappropriate.”
“Instead of allowing the debate to take its course in public among American citizens and their elected leaders,” Cruz wrote, “military officials over the last week have repeatedly launched attacks on Carlson, including through official DOD platforms and accounts while in uniform.”
Indeed, Tucker Carlson has a First Amendment right to, on his own show, share his thoughts on the issues facing our country.