DeSantis: Biden has led military astray.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Criticizes Biden Administration’s Military Recruiting Efforts

Mocking the Use of Drag Queens in Military Recruitment

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis criticized the Biden administration’s military recruiting efforts, stating that the military has “lost its way” by using a drag queen to help in recruiting efforts. The Navy selected Yeoman Second Class Joshua Kelley, who performs as a drag queen under the stage name “Harpy Daniels,” to serve as a digital ambassador in 2022.

“When I see them focusing on things like drag queens for recruiting, you’re like, this really has lost its way, and is it any wonder that recruiting is in the toilet right now?” DeSantis said during remarks in Bedford, New Hampshire.

Restoring a Sense of Mission

DeSantis, who served in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay as a Navy judge advocate general, added, “So, I think that you need to restore a sense of mission, and it’s all about being able to fight and win wars, and when you have that sense of mission and nothing’s going to detract you from it, man, morale goes through the roof because people feel like they’re part of something that matters.”

Lowered Recruiting Standards

The Department of Defense lowered recruiting standards in 2022 to address difficulties in recruiting enough volunteers, including allowing those infected with HIV to serve overseas and in the officer corps, and allowing those who test positive for marijuana the opportunity to take a second drug test.

Recruiting During the Global War on Terror

DeSantis, who has not formally declared his candidacy for president but was in New Hampshire, an early primary state, noted that recruiting wasn’t an issue at the height of the global War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. “It wasn’t a cup of tea, it wasn’t fun, and yet people still wanted to join,” DeSantis said. “I think it’s because they understood where, in the cloth of your country and stepping up, even in conflicts that weren’t going well, that that mattered.”

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