Donald Trump is drawing from one of Hollywood’s most iconic drill sergeants to depict his vision of a toughened military while criticizing the Biden administration’s support of openly serving LGBTQ+ individuals.
At his recent rallies, Trump has showcased a video featuring scenes of R. Lee Ermey portraying Marine Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 Vietnam War film *Full Metal Jacket.* Ermey’s character, known for his aggressive, often vulgar, and occasionally racist tirades aimed at recruits, appears in clips labeled “THEN.” These are contrasted with footage supporting LGBTQ+ rights and drag performers, labeled “NOW” and “THE BIDEN HARRIS MILITARY.”
The video ends with a scene from the film, just before the recruits are sent to Vietnam, captioned “LET’S MAKE OUR MILITARY GREAT AGAIN.” After showing this video at several rallies, Trump posted it on social media.
Trump frequently criticizes the increased acceptance of transgender people, including the use of gender pronouns and the participation of transgender women in women’s sports. These remarks often draw significant applause at his rallies, where he promises to implement restrictions. Earlier this month, Trump praised Ermey’s performance in *Full Metal Jacket,* noting that Ermey, a former Marine drill sergeant, was deserving of an Academy Award. He claimed Ermey didn’t win because he wasn’t part of Hollywood’s “establishment.”
Interestingly, Trump’s campaign uses the film to reflect his vision for the military, despite *Full Metal Jacket* being widely recognized as an anti-war film. Furthermore, the film is set during the Vietnam War, from which Trump received medical deferments despite having attended the New York Military Academy.
Vivian Kubrick, the daughter of director Stanley Kubrick, stated that she believes her father would have supported Trump and would not mind the use of an anti-war film to emphasize building a strong military. She explained that the movie explores the complexities of human nature and that, in a harsh world, a robust military is necessary. Vivian Kubrick further argued that the film’s boot camp scenes are a stark contrast to what she considers the “demoralizing” impact of “woke” ideology on the U.S. military—views she shares and believes her father would have supported.
On the other hand, Ermey’s co-star, Matthew Modine, who played Private Joker in the film and appears in the video, expressed a different perspective. Modine criticized Trump for distorting Kubrick’s anti-war message into what he called a “perverse, homophobic, and manipulative tool of propaganda,” according to his comments to *Entertainment Weekly.*
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