‘High T’ Pete Hegseth hurls anti-trans slur at Iowa State Fair campaign stop while Iran war rages on

As President Donald Trump's war with Iran continues without an end in sight, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hurled an anti-trans slur while campaigning for Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn of Iowa.

“At the Department of War, we do training, not t***nies,” Hegseth said in remarks reported by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.

Hegseth used the slur during a campaign appearance on Monday at JR’s SouthPork Ranch at the Iowa State Fair, where he joined Nunn for a rally. In the same speech, Hegseth claimed the military operates without regard to race or gender.

“Training, lethality, accountability, discipline, readiness — the bedrock of what it means to be an American warrior — is the only focus of our department,” Hegseth said. “Colorblind, gender-neutral, merit-based. That’s it.”

Related: Hegseth attacks transgender service members in speech: 'No more dudes in dresses. We're done with that s**t'

But the military Hegseth described bears little resemblance to the department he leads. His tenure at the Department of Defense — which remains the agency’s legal name — has been marked by renewed exclusion and an openly political campaign against transgender people.

The Defense Department has moved to remove transgender troops from the military under President Donald Trump’s ban. The effort followed Justice Department claims that the military had not discharged any transgender service members, even as Air Force personnel had already received separation papers.

In June, a divided federal appeals court panel ruled that the administration could not discharge the transgender service members who brought one of the lawsuits challenging the ban while their case continues. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to review that ruling and, in the meantime, keep it from taking effect.

Related: Judge in trans military ban case demands Pentagon explain Hegseth’s testosterone double standard

In addition to his attacks on trans troops, Hegseth has also championed testosterone replacement therapy for cisgender troops deemed to have low levels of the male sex hormone.

The exchange also carried direct political stakes for Nunn, whose reelection race has made transgender rights a prominent issue. He faces a challenge from Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott. During his own speech, Nunn attacked Trone Garriott over her votes against a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, restrictions on transgender students’ participation in sports, and a law requiring students to use school bathrooms corresponding with their sex assigned at birth, according to the Des Moines Register.

“It's a locker room for girls. This is a common sense approach,” Nunn said.

Nunn once had the endorsement of One Iowa Action, an LGBTQ+ rights group. But in 2019, the organization issued a formal statement of disapproval after he voted to amend the Iowa Civil Rights Act in a way that targeted transgender Medicaid recipients.