There are speeches and there are speeches that require the speaker to define the background noise before the audience decides what to make of it, and Pete Hegseth chose the second kind at Meridian Hill Park on Thursday morning.
Hegseth, Defense Secretary Stephen Miller, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Steven Nordhaus had gathered at the park to thank approximately 200 National Guard members for their duties in Washington, D.C., which have included patrolling the city and assisting with Trump’s America 250 beautification projects. Per Raw Story, which captured the footage, protesters nearby began booing and blaring sirens, which grew louder as the speeches continued. Hegseth stepped to the microphone and said: “This background noise this morning is perfect. It’s the sound of ingrates, of ingratitude, of people who are so blinded by ideology they can’t see law and order and common sense in front of them.” He said this while attempting to hold a thank-you ceremony for the National Guard, a ceremony in which the defining moment became his description of what was happening outside it.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche then took the microphone and introduced himself, per Raw Story, as the sounds of shouting grew. “Thank you everybody, my name’s Todd Blanche, I’m the acting attorney general,” he said, as the booing climbed in volume. He continued speaking. The booing continued. This is the acting attorney general of the United States, introducing himself to 200 National Guard troops while being steadily drowned out by protesters, which is either a demonstration of institutional resilience or an illustration of the current state of the American street.
Miller stood on the stage during all of this. Miller, whose Truth Social post last week warned that Democrats regaining power would mean “12 more justices on SCOTUS, two new Democrat states” and “they’re going to get rid of ICE,” and which was received by the internet as a campaign pitch for the opposition, was now standing in a park listening to the sound of the opposition responding. Per Raw Story’s live feed, footage of Miller at the event circulated widely with the caption: “i love this for Stephen Miller.”
The National Guard members who were being thanked were present throughout. Whether they found it as instructive as the administration did is not confirmed.
When the Defense Secretary describes the protesters drowning out his speech as “perfect,” what exactly is the ceremony accomplishing?
Sources
Raw Story: Hegseth furious as demonstrators overpower Trump officials speaking to National Guard
Raw Story: Pete Hegseth condemned by ex-Fox & Friends colleague after ‘huge’ military loss
