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Pentagon Racism Scandal Sparks Outrage from MSNBC Host
Joy Reid slams Trump administration officials as 'dumb, unqualified idiots' and 'a**holes' over revelations of discrimination against Black and female military officers.
Mar. 28, 2026 at 4:18pm
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A fractured, abstract painting captures the tumult and discord surrounding allegations of racism and discrimination in the upper ranks of the U.S. military.Arlington TodayMSNBC host Joy Reid strongly criticized the Trump administration's handling of diversity and inclusion efforts in the U.S. military, calling top officials like former Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 'dumb, unqualified idiots' and 'a**holes' in response to a bombshell New York Times report about racism and discrimination at the Pentagon.
Why it matters
The revelations about the Trump administration's efforts to block the promotion of Black and female military officers, as well as its broader hostility toward diversity and inclusion initiatives, have sparked outrage and renewed concerns about the lack of racial and gender representation in the upper echelons of the armed forces.
The details
According to the New York Times report, Hegseth's chief of staff told an Army secretary that Trump did not want to 'stand next to a Black female officer at military events.' The report also said Hegseth struck two Black officers and two women officers from the promotion list. Reid criticized this as part of a broader pattern of the Trump administration favoring 'violent, insubordinate a**holes' who are White men over more qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds.
- The New York Times report was published on March 28, 2026.
The players
Joy Reid
An MSNBC host who strongly criticized the Trump administration's handling of diversity and inclusion efforts in the U.S. military.
Pete Hegseth
The former Secretary of Defense under the Trump administration, who was accused of blocking the promotion of Black and female military officers.
Lloyd Austin
The previous Secretary of Defense who had made efforts to make the military's officer corps more diverse and representative of the country's population.
What they’re saying
“They don't even want quality White men. They really actually seem to prefer... The kind of White men who will commit war crimes. If you're a guy who wants to commit some war crimes and get violent in the Caribbean, that's who P-Tag Seth wants. He doesn't want the best of the best. He wants the most violent. He wants to biggest a**holes. He wants people like himself.”
— Joy Reid, MSNBC Host
The takeaway
The Pentagon racism scandal highlights the Trump administration's broader efforts to roll back diversity and inclusion initiatives in the military, prioritizing the promotion of White men over more qualified candidates from underrepresented backgrounds. This has raised concerns about the lack of racial and gender representation in the upper echelons of the armed forces.
