In a surprising turn of events, Donald Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and the latter’s chief of staff, Ricky Buria, have come under fire after the duo showcased alleged racist behavior towards certain military personnel. Recent reports have claimed that Buria seemingly opposed the promotion of a particular official, and even remarked that the president wouldn’t wish to publicly share the stage with the individual due to her ethnicity and gender.
Pete Hegseth’s Chief of Staff reportedly makes bold statement about Donald Trump
According to a startling report published by The New York Times, Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff apparently spoke against the July 2025 appointment of Major General Antoinette R. Gant as commanding general, justifying his resistance by stating that President Donald Trump would prefer not to be seen with a Black female officer at military events.
Notably, Major General Antoinette R. Gant, who had served as a combat engineer in Iraq and Afghanistan, achieved the promotion at the hands of Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll. Furthermore, Gant’s command, headquartered at Fort McNair in Washington, specializes in providing security and performing ceremonial duties, which often require the commander to make appearances at Arlington National Cemetery alongside the president.
In reply, Ricky Buria has denied all wrongdoing, labeling the report as a fabricated narrative. “This is completely false,” he told People. “Whoever placed this made-up story is clearly trying to sow division among our ranks in the Department and the administration. It’s not going to work, and it will never work when this Department is led by clear-eyed, mission-driven leaders unfazed by Washington gossip.”
In addition to Buria’s stance, the outlet also reported that Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s defense secretary, had seemingly meddled with the promotion of two Black and two female Army officers. He had allegedly pressured senior military leaders like Driscoll to cancel the four officers’ promotion to the rank of one-star general from a list that featured around three dozen names. As per the report, Hegseth unilaterally removed the names himself earlier this month after Driscoll refused to comply.
