The “Warrior Ethos” According To Trump: A Field Guide To Being Scared Of Everything

Culture

from the real-warriors-don't-ban-books dept

The Trump administration wants you to know they’re very, very tough. So tough, in fact, that they’re launching a comprehensive purge of the Naval Academy to eliminate “corrosive DEI programs” and restore what they call the “warrior ethos.” Because nothing says “fearless military leadership” like being absolutely terrified of books about civil rights and the radical concept that people of different backgrounds might have something to contribute.

According to a draft memo obtained by Fox News, the Navy is establishing a “Naval Higher Education Review Board” tasked with removing any materials “deemed inappropriate for today’s warfighter progression.” The board will focus particularly on—brace yourself—the Humanities and Social Sciences, including History and English.

The memo is worth quoting directly, because the language reveals how thoroughly this administration misunderstands both education and military effectiveness. It talks about the necessity of “remov[ing] materials and practices deemed inappropriate for today’s warfighter” and says:

A particular emphasis will be applied on the Humanities and Social Sciences, including History and English. Faculty recruitment and selection processes will be reviewed to ensure merit-based selection that leads to preparing our future officers for leading in Peace Through Strength and then success in combat when the Nation calls.

Notice what’s missing here: any explanation of how studying history or literature could possibly undermine military readiness. The assumption seems to be that learning about the complexities of human society somehow weakens future officers, rather than preparing them for the complex operational environments they’ll actually face.

But here’s the thing about this supposed “warrior ethos”: when you actually look at what the Trump administration considers tough-guy behavior, it’s basically a master class in being scared of literally everything.

A Warrior’s Guide to Being Terrified

Let’s examine what the “warrior ethos” looks like in practice under this administration:

Warrior Move #1: Be So Scared of CBS News That You Extort Them for $16 Million Nothing says “fearless leader” like forcing a news organization to pay what amounts to a protection racket fee because they edited an interview with your opponent—who you beat in the election—in ways you didn’t like. Trump’s demand that CBS pay as part of a settlement shows the true warrior spirit: if you can’t handle a free press, just threaten people until they pay you to go away.

Warrior Move #2: Transportation Secretary Too Frightened of NYC Subways to Ride Them Sean Duffy, Trump’s Transportation Secretary, apparently finds the New York City subway system so terrifying that can’t stop talking about how terrifying and scary it is. This is the same subway system used daily by millions of ordinary New Yorkers, including children going to school. But hey, nothing embodies the warrior ethos like being more scared of public transit than a 12-year-old with a MetroCard.

Warrior Move #3: Be So Intimidated by TikTok That You… Wait, Actually, Never Mind That One The administration’s flip-flopping on TikTok—from “existential threat that must be banned immediately” to “actually it’s fine now“—perfectly captures the strategic brilliance of the modern warrior ethos: be inconsistent enough that nobody knows what you actually stand for.

Warrior Move #4: Cower in Fear of Trans People Using Bathrooms Nothing demonstrates battlefield courage quite like being absolutely terrified that someone might use a bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. The administration has made restricting transgender rights a top priority because apparently, the greatest threat to American military readiness is the possibility that a trans person might pee in peace. Real warriors, as we all know, spend most of their time obsessing over other people’s bathroom choices and genitals.

Think about the operational absurdity here: these are the same people who claim they want military officers, based on “meritocracy,” prepared for complex global conflicts, but they’re prioritizing policies that actively drive qualified personnel out of the service over… bathroom anxiety.

Warrior Move #5: Be So Scared of Accurate Data That You Fire People Who Collect It The administration’s pattern of removing officials who produce economic data they don’t like—like firing the Bureau of Labor Statistics chief—shows true warrior spirit: if reality doesn’t match your narrative, just eliminate the people whose job it is to document reality. Because nothing says “strong leadership” like being threatened by… math.

Warrior Move #6: Tremble at the Thought of Foreign Students Learning Things The warrior ethos apparently includes being so intimidated by international students that you want to kick them out of American universities. Because clearly, the best way to maintain American dominance is to prevent talented people from other countries from getting educated here, potentially staying here, and contributing to American innovation. Strategic brilliance.

Warrior Move #7: Be Defeated by Windmills (Literally) Trump’s ongoing war against wind energy—claiming windmills cause cancer, kill birds, and are generally terrifying—perfectly encapsulates the warrior mindset. Don Quixote fought windmills as a delusion; Trump fights them as policy. At least Don Quixote had the excuse of being fictional.

Warrior Move #8: Run Away from Public Media The warrior ethos includes being so threatened by NPR and PBS that you need to defund them entirely. Because apparently, nothing strikes fear into the hearts of tough guys quite like… thoughtful journalism and educational programming. Clearly, “Sesame Street” and “All Things Considered” represent an existential threat to American military readiness.

Warrior Move #9: Eliminate Books Because Words Are Scary The Naval Academy previously purged nearly 400 books from its library, covering topics like civil rights, the Holocaust, LGBTQ+ issues, and feminism. Because apparently, learning about American history and understanding different perspectives is too dangerous for future military officers. Nothing says “prepared for combat” like being unable to handle a book about the Civil Rights Movement.

Warrior Move #10: Replace Diversity with “Merit” (But Only Our Definition of Merit) The memo calls for “merit-based selection” while simultaneously demanding that military academics be restructured to eliminate civilian influence and focus solely on what they define as appropriate warrior content. Merit, in this context, apparently means “thinks exactly like us and is scared of the same books we are.”

The Real “Corrosive” Problem

Here’s what’s actually happening: the Trump administration is so threatened by the idea that America’s military might benefit from officers who understand the full complexity of American history, society, and the world they’ll be operating in, that they’re willing to gut educational institutions to prevent it.

The memo talks about addressing “imbalances in civilian-dominated governance that weaken the Academy’s military mission”—but civilian oversight of the military is literally a foundational principle of American democracy. The idea that civilian input into military education is somehow corrupting reveals (not for the first time) a pretty fundamental misunderstanding of how democratic institutions are supposed to work.

And let’s be clear about what “DEI programs” actually were at the Naval Academy: they were efforts to ensure that the military could draw from the full talent pool of American citizens, rather than limiting themselves to a narrow demographic slice. The idea that this somehow undermines military effectiveness is contradicted by, well, reality. Diverse teams consistently outperform homogeneous ones in complex scenarios—exactly the kind of challenges military leaders face.

The Irony of “Warrior Ethos”

The most ridiculous part of all this is that the people claiming to champion a “warrior ethos” are displaying the exact opposite of what that might actually mean. Real “warriors” aren’t afraid of books. They don’t need to silence critics or eliminate diverse perspectives to feel secure. They don’t demand protection money from news organizations or avoid public transportation out of fear.

Real strength comes from being able to engage with challenging ideas, to learn from different perspectives, and to adapt to complex situations. The Trump administration’s version of strength looks more like fragility dressed up in insecure tough-guy language.

The Naval Academy has produced military leaders who successfully fought fascism, integrated the military, and protected democratic values around the world. They did this not despite understanding the full complexity of American society and history, but because of it.

Now we’re supposed to believe that future officers will be stronger if they’re shielded from learning about civil rights, protected from diverse perspectives, and trained to see civilian oversight as a threat rather than a feature of democratic governance.

That’s not a warrior ethos. That’s authoritarian fragility with a military costume on.

What This Actually Accomplishes

The real goal here isn’t to create better military leaders—it’s to use military institutions as political weapons. By purging educational content and restructuring governance, the Trump administration hopes to ensure that military institutions reflect their political priorities rather than serving the broader American public.

This undermines both military effectiveness and democratic norms. When you politicize military education, you create officers who are loyal to a particular political faction rather than to the Constitution and the American people. When you eliminate diverse perspectives from military leadership development, you create blind spots that enemies can exploit.

This approach makes America less safe, not more. Military leaders who don’t understand the full complexity of the societies they serve and the world they operate in are less effective, not more.

But then again, none of this is actually about military effectiveness. It’s about using the language of “warrior ethos” to justify political purges and authoritarian control.

And if that’s what passes for “strength” in the Trump administration, it explains a lot about why they’re so terrified of everything else—from windmills to bathroom choices to the basic concept of civilian expertise. Real strength doesn’t require purging books or eliminating perspectives. But real authoritarianism absolutely does.

Filed Under: dei, donald trump, education, maga, naval academy, scared, warrior ethos