Trump Calls Military ‘Woke’ Hours After Saying Term Is Meaningless

Donald Trump sat down in Iowa with Sean Hannity for a pre-recorded town hall event that aired Thursday night on Fox News. The former president cycled through his usual list of grievances and outlandish claims. He also alleged that the U.S. military wanted to “go woke,” despite admitting earlier on Thursday that he didn’t like the term and that Republicans have no idea what “woke” actually means.

“You know, our military is great. A lot of things going on with our military with the woke and all this nonsense,” Trump told Hannity on Thursday. “They’re not learning to fight and protect us from some very bad people. They want to go woke. They want to go woke. That’s all they talk about now. I see letters that are being sent. It’s horrible.”

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Trump complained to Iowans hours earlier that he doesn’t like the term “woke” and that “half the people” who use the term can’t define it and “don’t know what it is.” The former president then proceeded to dream of coaching the “greatest” girls’ basketball team, claiming that if he could convince LeBron James and four other players to identify as women, that would be “woke.”

Thursday’s event took place less than a month after Trump’s controversial CNN town hall, during which the former president stood by his false claims of election fraud in 2020, fixated on the multiple federal investigations into his conduct as president, and insulted host Kaitlan Collins as a “nasty person.” Trump’s griping about E. Jean Carroll, who he had recently been found liable for sexually assaulting, earned him a court filing from the author requesting additional damages to compensate her for more alleged defamation.

Trump addressed the investigations on Thursday, too, particularly the Justice Department’s probe into his handling of classified material. News broke on Wednesday that prosecutors have a recording of Trump admitting he couldn’t just flat-out declassify the documents he took from the White House, despite the fact that he’s claimed publicly he did just that. Hannity asked him about the revelation.

“I don’t know anything about it,” Trump responded. “All I know is this: everything I did was right.”

Trump is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, boasting a hefty double-digit lead over recently declared Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis was also present in Iowa this week, attempting to woo blue-collar voters before moving on to New Hampshire, where he was caught on video snapping at reporters.

Trump and DeSantis are exploiting every potential avenue for positive coverage. As previously reported by Rolling Stone, the pair are locked in an intense behind-the-scenes feud to secure the support of the right’s most prominent online influencers, including offers of cash.

“With the decline of the credibility of the mainstream media, credible influencers in conservative social media are very important. Voters are looking for facts and truth. Influencers with credibility are very helpful [for any serious GOP presidential campaign],” Trump pollster John McLaughlin told Rolling Stone. 

But despite the campaign pivot to social media, the former president will never pass up an opportunity for a live televised airing of the Trump Show.

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