'No more ridiculous mumbo jumbo': Vance celebrates Marine Corps' elimination of DEI, then fires some guns

Vice President JD Vance addressed his fellow Marines Wednesday during a visit to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. Vance, who served for four years and did a tour in Iraq, spoke of his experience in the Marines, the significance of the service branch now approaching its 250th birthday, and the Trump administration's re-prioritization of lethality over cosmetic diversity.

After delivering his remarks, Vance ate a meal at the mess hall, then hit the gun range, where he fired an M27 infantry rifle, an M107 sniper rifle, an M240B machine gun, and a Howitzer — all with ease and absent any blunders, prompting some supporters online to draw comparisons with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's humiliating hunting-themed photo op.

Vance quipped at the outset of his speech that he may have been motivated to run for vice president because of a desire for the "colonels and generals to listen to the corporals for a change."

Despite this suggestion that he did not like being ordered around and his boast later that there was no one to chastise him for being two hours late, the vice president emphasized that he greatly benefited from Marine Corps discipline.

'We care about excellence, and we care about patriotism.'

"There are a lot of good things the Marine Corps did for me when I joined the Marines back in 2003," said Vance. "I was just a kind of directionless kid. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life — and as you all know, the Marine Corps is good at giving direction to 18-year-old kids."

After underscoring his pride in and appreciation for the Marines, Vance noted that the Corps is now "headed in the right direction."

"Under President Trump's leadership, we believe in a very simple principle. We don't care who you are, where you came from; we don't care what skin color you are. We care about excellence, and we care about patriotism," said Vance.

"No more quotas. No more ridiculous mumbo jumbo. No more diversity trainings," continued the vice president. "We believe the real strength and the real diversity in the United States Marine Corps is that you all come from every walk of life, come from every corner of America, and you have got the strength and the purpose to win the nation's wars — and that is what the Marine Corps is going to do, just like it's done for damn near 250 years."

Although a woke Biden judge has blocked its ban on transvestites in the military, the Trump administration has enjoyed some success with its other efforts to ensure that capability is not sacrificed on the altar of diversity.

After taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating "all discriminatory and illegal preferences, mandates, policies, programs, activities, guidance, regulations, enforcement actions, consent orders, and requirements." Days later, he signed another order explicitly eliminating race- and sex-based discrimination in the military.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth subsequently made clear that where the Pentagon was concerned, DEI, gender ideology, critical race theory, and quotas were to be relegated to the dustbin of history.

Hegseth noted in a Jan. 29 memo titled "Restoring America's Fighting Force" that the military "will ensure all decisions related to hiring, promotion, and selection of personnel for assignments are based on merit, the needs of the Department, and lastly, the individual's desire."

'He's proud of you.'

In addition to highlighting the military's rejection of identity politics, Vance indicated in his speech Wednesday that the "new leadership" is going to "invest in the Marine Corps and the entire United States military like we never have before — over a trillion dollars. We're going to invest in building up the manufacturing base of this country so that you guys, when you do go to war, when you have to go to war, you've got the best weapons anywhere in the world."

Vance also passed on a message to the Marines from their commander in chief: "First of all that he loves you. And second of all that he's proud of you."

Kevin Brown, the mayor of Quantico, noted on Facebook, "It was a pleasure listening to a Marine Vice President talk to Marines. Once a Marine Always a Marine."

Brown told Potomac Local News, "It's encouraging to know we have someone in the White House with that pedigree, advising the president."

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