Amy McGrath Annihilates Trump and Hegseth After “Deranged, Un-American Rant” to U.S. Generals — Veterans Rally in Support

By Elena Vasquez, Political Correspondent Washington, D.C. – November 4, 2025

Amy McGrath — the fearless Marine fighter pilot and former Senate candidate — just annihilated Donald Trump and his MAGA Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after what she called a “deranged, un-American rant” to U.S. generals. Her takedown is going viral as veterans and patriots across the nation rally behind her bold truth bombs.

In a blistering CNN appearance Tuesday evening, McGrath, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and combat veteran, eviscerated the duo’s September 30 addresses at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. The event, which convened over 800 generals and admirals at a cost estimated at $5 million, devolved into what McGrath branded a “WTF moment” — a partisan spectacle laced with fat-shaming, anti-DEI screeds, and threats to deploy troops domestically. “This isn’t leadership; it’s a loyalty test wrapped in a tantrum,” McGrath said, her voice steady but eyes flashing with the fire of 89 combat missions flown against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. “Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump turned a national security briefing into a deranged, un-American rant. Our enemies are smiling at us right now.”

The Quantico gathering, billed as a “strategic reset” for the military, began with Hegseth’s 45-minute TED Talk-style monologue. The Fox News alum-turned-Defense Secretary railed against “woke” policies, vowing to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, reinstate strict grooming standards, and elevate combat fitness to “the highest male standard.” He mocked “fat generals” and “climate change worship,” declaring, “If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is.” Trump followed with an hour-long ramble, touting tariffs, insulting Joe Biden, and casually proposing American cities as “training grounds” for urban warfare exercises. “We have police to fight crime,” McGrath shot back on air, “not send war-trained troops into our streets. This is something we just don’t do in America.”

McGrath’s response, delivered on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, has exploded online, amassing 4.2 million views on X by Wednesday morning. Her Instagram video — a raw, unscripted takedown filmed in her Kentucky home — has 1.8 million likes, with clips remixed into viral memes overlaying Hegseth’s pull-up boasts on footage of exhausted troops. “I’m sick and tired of Pete Hegseth lying about women in the military and standards,” she declared, emphasizing that combat roles have always demanded gender-neutral excellence. “When I flew my F/A-18s, there was no ‘male standard’ or ‘female standard’ for landing on a carrier at night in a storm. You can do it, or you can’t.”

As the first woman to fly a combat mission for the Marine Corps, McGrath’s credentials are unimpeachable. Her 20-year career included 13 deployments, earning her the Distinguished Flying Cross and a near-run for the Senate in 2020 against Mitch McConnell, where she raised $100 million as a grassroots underdog. Now a national security analyst for CNN and advocate for veterans’ mental health, her words carry weight beyond punditry. “Hegseth still has a lot to learn, unfortunately,” she added, slamming his dismissal of female contributions as “ridiculous” and Trump’s domestic troop musings as “bonkers.”

Veterans and patriots have rallied en masse. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who lost both legs in Iraq, echoed McGrath on the Senate floor: “Hegseth’s speech makes a mockery of our veterans — men and women who serve without special treatment.” Retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton blasted the event as an “expensive waste,” tweeting: “Pete Hegseth spent millions to fly in our generals and admirals to rant about facial hair and brag about pull-ups.” Common Defense, a progressive veterans’ group, launched #RealStandards, sharing stories of women like Navy cryptologist Tamara Stevens, who called Hegseth’s “lethality” fixation “alarming.” On X, #McGrathSpeaksTruth trended with 2.1 million posts, including endorsements from Gold Star families and active-duty spouses. “Amy’s not just calling it out — she’s reminding us what service means,” posted @VetVoicesUnited, a hashtag amplified by 150,000 shares.

The backlash underscores broader unease with the administration’s military overhaul. Hegseth’s directives — emailed pre-speech — include banning pronouns in official communications, ending “gender delusions,” and purging “DEI debris.” Critics, including Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), decried the gathering as a “dangerous dereliction,” noting the security risk of clustering top brass amid global threats from China and Russia. Trump’s offhand remark about urban deployments evoked fears of martial law, drawing rebukes from the ACLU: “This isn’t readiness; it’s authoritarianism.” Even some Republicans, like Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), expressed discomfort: “The military isn’t a partisan army.”

Hegseth’s defenders, however, hail it as a “wake-up call.” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), a Citadel graduate, tweeted: “Our enemies don’t fear diversity quotas. They fear American firepower.” Trump, in a Mar-a-Lago rally Tuesday, doubled down: “Pete’s making our military great again — no more weak links!” The speech’s viral moments — Hegseth’s “FAFO” (F**k Around and Find Out) closer and Trump’s Biden jabs — have energized the base, with Fox News clips racking up 8 million views.

McGrath’s viral surge — her follower count up 25,000 overnight — positions her as a Democratic firewall against MAGA encroachments on national security. “All hope is not lost,” she assured in a Substack post co-authored with journalist Jen Rubin. “Our generals are smart individuals who swore an oath to the Constitution.” As the government shutdown drags into Day 11, her words resonate amid furloughed troops and delayed benefits. Veterans’ groups like the VFW issued statements of solidarity: “McGrath speaks for the 18 million of us who served honorably, without politics.”

In an era where military apoliticality frays, McGrath’s takedown isn’t just critique — it’s a clarion call. From F/A-18 cockpits to cable studios, her legacy as a trailblazer endures, reminding America that true patriotism demands truth, not tantrums. As veterans rally, one question lingers: Will Washington listen, or let the rants echo unchecked?