MS NOW’s Nicolle Wallace said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has turned an upcoming speech into a “beauty contest” after the Pentagon reportedly suggested rigid physical requirements for any service members attending the Sept. 30 address.
According to emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, military commanders were told to nominate troops fitting certain “physical standards,” including passing the Army’s waist-to-height ratio and having “impeccable grooming and uniform standards (no exception).” Those candidates will also have the opportunity to participate in a training session with Hegseth.
Wallace was baffled by the Pentagon’s reported request: “Let me see if I understand this: So the ones who don’t measure up, literally, the less attractive or fit ones stay on the battlefield?” She criticized the timing of Hegseth’s speech, which she said is taking place as the war with Iran “continues to spiral out of their [the administration’s] control.”
Hegseth “has apparently decided that now is the right time to pull top generals and commanders out of duty to attend something he’s calling his ‘State of the Force,’” she said, adding, “But he has a special request of his top commanders at a time of war for our country: He wants them only to bring their best-looking troops to his speech.”
The “Deadline: White House” host said the reported emails showed Hegseth’s “insanity and embarrassing incompetence” and his “obsession with grooming and weight.” In March, The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon had shut out several news photographers for taking what was deemed “unflattering” photos of the secretary during a briefing.
“I do think this is one of the things that when they study this time, they’re going to say, ‘What?’” Wallace said. “What echo in history had the optics of the soldiers as a feature? How did this happen?”
You can watch Wallace’s full commentary in the clip at the top of the page.
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