Sunny Hostin Calls Trump a 'Wimp' Over Military Rhetoric

Sunny Hostin, a co-host of The View, characterized President Donald Trump as a "wimp" while reacting to recent statements made by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth regarding the U.S. military. Hegseth, in a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, declared that the Pentagon is "no longer the woke department or the weak department." He outlined a vision for the military, stating, "Simple translation of that: No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors."

Responding to Hegseth's remarks, Hostin questioned the notion of "no wimps," pointing to Trump's history of deferments during the Vietnam War. "He works for a guy who had five deferments for bone spurs. What's wimpier than that?" she asked, a comment met with laughter from the audience.

While Trump received five deferments, only one was for bone spurs; the others were educational. Hostin also expressed concern over Hegseth's announcement of a 20 percent reduction in the number of generals and admirals in the U.S. military by January 1, a move he framed as removing "ideological clowns" and bringing in "patriotic cowboys."

Hostin further criticized Hegseth for what she described as the "weaving of religious language and Christian themes" into his address. "There are Muslims that serve in our army. There are Jews that serve in our army. How dare he place his religious beliefs upon other people as a leader?" she stated, referencing Hegseth's use of biblical passages and his directive for military chaplains to prioritize religious focus over therapeutic self-help.

Co-host Ana Navarro also voiced criticism, deeming Hegseth's speech "deeply unserious" and "infantile," particularly given the ongoing conflict in Iran. Navarro called for transparency regarding the cost of the war and urged the Secretary of Defense to adopt a more measured tone befitting a military leader engaged in wartime.