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A Donald Trump-endorsed Senate candidate left debate moderators in shock on Wednesday when he declared that the US military needs to recruit “alpha” men and women into its ranks prepared to tear out and devour their own intestines – and not drag queens.
Hung Cao, a retired US Navy captain, went head-to-head against veteran Democrat Tim Kaine in a debate on Wednesday as they spar over the US senate seat in Virginia.
During the showdown, Cao was asked about the military’s struggles to find sufficient numbers of new recruits and his own past comments blaming diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies for the shortfall.
“They kicked out tens of thousands of military people that refused to take a Covid vaccine,” Cao answered.
“So if you’re a military person or a young person wanting to go in the military, would you trust the military or government that would turn your back on them just for an experimental vaccine?”
But from that comparatively normal starting point, he devolved: “When you’re using a, you know, drag queen to recruit for the Navy, that’s not the people we want.
“What we need is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them and ask for seconds. Those are young men and women that are gonna win wars.”
Cao’s response drew applause from sections of the audience before the moderators shut him down and invited Kaine to respond.
The two-term Democratic incumbent, best known as Hillary Clinton’s running mate during the 2016 presidential campaign, answered: “I didn’t understand my opponent’s argument. He went all around the block and I’m not really sure what his point was about DEI.
“We have to reach out to new constituencies and new groups. We also have to convince people the benefits of military service are enormous.
“People feel like if they serve in the military, they’ll fall behind. No, you’ll zoom ahead because of benefits like the GI Bill and others.”
The Republican also whipped up support from his audience during the showdown when he told Kaine: “There’s two truths in the world, OK? Never walk in a Target store wearing a red shirt and never go against an Asian when it comes to math. Trust me.”
Cao, who first came to the US with his family as an immigrant from Vietnam, also spoke of his fierce patriotic pride, declaring: “Don’t ask for the American dream if you’re not willing to obey American laws and embrace the American culture.”
The candidate otherwise stuck to distinctly Trumpian talking points, bashing the Biden-Harris administration over inflation and illegal border crossings and accusing the president of being “on the beach” while his deputy spends her time “with a bunch of billionaires doing fundraisers”.
Kaine, for his part, sought to dismiss his opponent as a MAGA extremist.
