Hung Cao, the Republican Senate nominee in Virginia, criticized drag queens and those who support them during a debate on Wednesday, suggesting they aren’t suited for military service.
During the televised debate against Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, one of the moderators asked Cao to elaborate on his previous comments linking the Biden administration’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion DEI to challenges in military recruitment. Cao, a Navy veteran, argued that DEI is part of the problem.When you’re using a drag queen to recruit for the Navy, that’s not who we need, Cao said. We need alpha males and alpha females—people tough enough to rip out their own guts, eat them, and ask for more. Those are the kinds of young men and women who will win wars.
His comments referenced a past Navy recruitment initiative, the Digital Ambassador Pilot Program, which included a petty officer who performed in drag. The program, which ended in April 2023, faced criticism from Republicans. In a letter to Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the undersecretary of the Navy confirmed the program was not continued.
Responding to questions about his debate remarks, Cao doubled down, saying, I just said what everyone knows to be true. He emphasized that only those willing to make extreme sacrifices are capable of winning wars, not drag queens.
Cao shared a clip of the debate on his X account formerly Twitter and used it as an opportunity to solicit donations for his campaign.
A retired Navy captain, Cao served in special operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, and worked on noncombat assignments with the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, according to his campaign website.
Kaine, who served as Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016, responded by saying he didn’t understand Cao’s argument. He noted that the military has struggled to meet recruitment goals in recent years and stressed the need to engage new groups of people. Kaine dismissed the DEI issue as a red herring.
Cao has received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and spoke at the Republican National Convention. According to the Cook Political Report, the Virginia Senate seat is rated as solid Democrat.
