Hours after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Marine Corps base audience that “the ideological clowns are out” of the U.S. military, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey accused him of disrespecting the troops and veterans he leads. Markey said Hegseth was doing it to draw attention away from what the senator called a failing administration, and he called for the Pentagon chief’s removal. The response, posted on X on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, is the latest in a string of public demands from Markey that Hegseth be fired. It also lands as the secretary’s handling of the armed forces, and of the Iran war, faces scrutiny from both parties.
Markey’s Full Post
Markey published the statement at 5:05 p.m. on September 30, 2026. It was a direct reply to a video clip of Hegseth’s speech earlier that day, captioned: “Hegseth: ‘The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top.'” The senator’s post, in its entirety, reads:
“Our Secretary of Defense is spending his time disrespecting our troops and our veterans to distract from the fact that this administration is a failure.
Let’s be clear. Diversity makes our troops stronger, not weaker.
Pete Hegseth has to go.”
The Speech That Prompted the Response
Hegseth delivered the remarks in what the Pentagon billed a “State of the Force Address,” a rare speech to military officers and enlisted service members at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. He told hundreds of junior officers and enlisted leaders that the Trump administration had achieved a cultural shift in the military. The line Markey answered came near the end of a passage in which Hegseth described a force stripped of what he called ideological distractions, and which closed with the “patriotic cowboys” and “testosterone testing” remark.
What Hegseth Said About the Force
Before the “clowns” line, Hegseth said the department was no longer “woke” or “weak,” and offered a list of people he said would no longer have a place in the ranks, including bearded troops, “weirdos” and “wimps,” ending with “Just warriors.” One account of the speech also reported that he said diversity is not the military’s strength and that unity is, because that is what matters when “the missiles are flying.”
Claims on Generals, Recruitment and the Press
Hegseth used the address to describe what he said were results of his tenure. He defended his policies, claimed recruitment and retention have risen, including among women and minorities, and described the new force as “color-blind” and merit-based. He also said the Pentagon is cutting its ranks of generals and admirals by 20%. He said a 10% reduction was already achieved, and he also spent considerable time criticizing media coverage of troop morale and depleted munitions stocks in the war with Iran.
Markey’s Argument
Markey’s post makes three distinct claims. First, that Hegseth is “spending his time disrespecting our troops and our veterans.” Second, that he is doing so “to distract from the fact that this administration is a failure.” Third, that “diversity makes our troops stronger, not weaker.” The senator closed with a four-word demand, “Pete Hegseth has to go.” His post did not cite specific policy failures, but the ‘distraction’ framing ties the speech to the broader political environment, including the ongoing Iran war and the approach of the November midterm elections.
Markey’s Earlier Calls to Fire Hegseth
The September 30 post is not the first time Markey has called for the secretary’s removal. On November 30, 2025, after a Washington Post report that Hegseth had given an order to kill everyone aboard an alleged drug vessel, including survivors, Markey wrote on X that Hegseth was “a war criminal and should be fired immediately.” Hegseth called the report “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory.”
A Press Release Tied to the Defense Budget
On December 17, 2025, Markey issued a statement after voting against the $1 trillion fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the Senate 77 to 20. In it he said, “We need to fire Secretary of War Crimes Hegseth,” linking the demand to what he described as boat strikes, bloated budgets and an illegal war against Venezuela.
Markey on Transgender Troops and Diversity
Markey’s position on the diversity question predates the speech. On June 10, 2025, he and Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduced the Fit to Serve Act, a bill to prohibit discrimination against transgender service members and reverse the administration’s ban. At the time, he said trans members of the military dedicated their lives to public service, as anyone in uniform does. He called the ban disruptive and harmful to readiness.
Hegseth’s Record on Standards and Diversity
The address came exactly one year after Hegseth summoned hundreds of generals and admirals to Quantico, where he criticized “woke” standards and “toxic leaders,” and called for tighter standards, denouncing “fat generals and admirals” and troops with beards. Hegseth has vowed to shrink what he calls a bloated flag-officer corps, but his firings and his reaching into promotion boards to end some senior officers’ careers have drawn bipartisan criticism, and many of the notable firings were of Black or female officers let go without explanation. One of his first actions at the Pentagon was a ban on transgender troops.
Fallout Among the Senior Ranks
As of July, there were 851 active-duty generals and admirals across the services, according to a Defense Department tally, just below the 857 cap set by federal law. The number of active-duty four-star generals has dropped to five from 10 when Hegseth took office. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s resignation reportedly followed clashes with Hegseth over personnel decisions, including his removal of two Black men and two women from a list of potential one-star promotions. Outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has also called for Hegseth’s ouster, citing “inept management” of the military.
Impeachment Efforts
On September 15, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment accusing Hegseth of abusing his office by executing an order for hostilities against Iran without congressional approval. The articles also cite his alleged suppression of Sen. Mark Kelly’s free speech. House leaders then left Washington a day early, so the vote will be avoided at least until after the midterm election. Earlier, Democratic Reps. Yassamin Ansari and John Larson and colleagues filed six articles of impeachment against him. In response to the Massie filing, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the department is “unified behind the Secretary’s vision.”
Reaction and Support
Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, responded to the speech by saying Hegseth has taken “countless reckless, partisan actions that have damaged our military.” Hegseth also has defenders. After last year’s Quantico address, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said it was vital that the military be on the same team, and that he welcomed the “get fit or get out” message. Online, reaction to this year’s speech was heavily critical, with many users mocking it.
Why It Matters
The exchange shows how Hegseth’s approach to the military’s culture has become a campaign-season flashpoint. The impeachment push came as the Iran war entered its seventh month. Markey, who won the Democratic primary for Senate on September 1, now faces the November general election. His call for Hegseth’s firing keeps the issue of military leadership, and who is fit to lead it, in front of voters. Whether the White House acts is another matter: neither it nor the Pentagon had responded to Markey’s post at the time of publication.