Trump Mocks LGBTQ+ Military with ‘Full Metal Jacket’ Video Clips \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Donald Trump has incorporated scenes from Full Metal Jacket featuring R. Lee Ermey to highlight his vision of a strong military while mocking the Biden administration’s embrace of LGBTQ+ rights. The video juxtaposes clips of Ermey’s drill sergeant character with pro-LGBTQ+ footage, presenting the latter as representative of the Biden-Harris military. This use of the film has drawn both support from Vivian Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick’s daughter, and criticism from co-star Matthew Modine.
Trump’s Use of Full Metal Jacket Clips: Quick Looks
- Trump’s vision of the military: Trump contrasts a hardened military ideal with clips promoting LGBTQ+ rights.
- Full Metal Jacket video clips: The clips feature R. Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, known for his harsh and racist outbursts.
- Juxtaposition: Ermey’s character represents Trump’s “THEN” military, contrasted with LGBTQ+ support and drag performers as the “NOW” Biden-Harris military.
- Rally video ends with: “LET’S MAKE OUR MILITARY GREAT AGAIN,” promoting Trump’s vision for the military.
- Kubrick family reaction: Vivian Kubrick supports Trump’s use of the film, suggesting her father would have agreed.
- Modine’s opposition: Co-star Matthew Modine condemned Trump’s use of the anti-war film as manipulative propaganda.
Deep Look
Donald Trump’s recent rallies have taken on a controversial new form of media messaging by incorporating clips from Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1987 Vietnam War film Full Metal Jacket. The video, which has been played at multiple rallies and later posted on Trump’s social media accounts, uses scenes featuring actor R. Lee Ermey’s portrayal of the tough Marine Gunnery Sgt. Hartman. Known for his aggressive and often profane, racist outbursts in the film, Ermey’s character has become synonymous with a brutal, hardened approach to military training. Trump is now embracing that character as a symbol of what he sees as the ideal military—one that he claims the Biden administration has weakened.
The video, which contrasts this “ideal” military with the current administration’s more inclusive stance, labels the clips from Full Metal Jacket as “THEN” and juxtaposes them against images of people supporting LGBTQ+ rights and drag performances, labeled “NOW” and “THE BIDEN HARRIS MILITARY.” The implication is clear: Trump seeks to position his vision of the military as one that is tough, disciplined, and traditional, while framing Biden’s military as softer and more focused on inclusivity.
At the conclusion of the video, viewers are shown a powerful scene from Full Metal Jacket, just before the recruits are deployed to Vietnam, captioned with Trump’s slogan, “LET’S MAKE OUR MILITARY GREAT AGAIN.” This powerful imagery is meant to resonate with Trump’s base, many of whom share his views on limiting the rights of transgender individuals and opposing the growing influence of what Trump calls “woke” ideology in the armed forces.
Trump’s recent speeches have frequently touched on these themes, often criticizing the increasing acceptance of transgender individuals and the broader LGBTQ+ community within the military. He has made a point of expressing his opposition to transgender women participating in women’s sports and has promised to roll back policies that allow for greater inclusivity in the military. At his rallies, these topics consistently draw some of the loudest applause, underscoring their importance to his supporters.
Earlier this month, during an event in Wisconsin, Trump went beyond merely using Full Metal Jacket as a symbol. He praised the late R. Lee Ermey’s performance in the film, arguing that Ermey should have received an Academy Award for his role. Trump claimed that Ermey’s lack of recognition from Hollywood was due to him being “outside the establishment,” a narrative that aligns with Trump’s broader critiques of elite institutions.
The use of Full Metal Jacket, however, is not without irony. The film, directed by Stanley Kubrick, is widely regarded as an anti-war classic, deeply critical of the Vietnam War and the military-industrial complex. Trump himself avoided military service during Vietnam, receiving medical deferments despite attending New York Military Academy. Nevertheless, his campaign has co-opted the film to illustrate his belief in a powerful, traditional military structure.
Vivian Kubrick, daughter of the late Stanley Kubrick, has expressed support for Trump’s use of the film in his rallies. Writing on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), she said that her father would have supported Trump’s message. She argued that Full Metal Jacket highlighted the paradoxes of human nature and suggested that Stanley Kubrick would agree that a strong military is necessary in today’s world. She also voiced her own concerns about the “woke” ideology being injected into the military, which she believes is inappropriate and demoralizing.
In stark contrast, Matthew Modine, who starred alongside Ermey in Full Metal Jacket as Private Joker, has voiced his opposition to Trump’s use of the film. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Modine accused Trump of distorting the film’s message, calling the former president’s use of the film a “profoundly distorted” and “perverse” manipulation of Kubrick’s anti-war work. Modine emphasized that Full Metal Jacket was never intended to glorify war or promote homophobia, but rather to criticize the military machine and its impact on human lives.
This divide between Kubrick’s family and Modine speaks to the complexity of Full Metal Jacket as a cultural touchstone. While the film itself critiques the dehumanizing nature of military training and the devastating effects of war, Trump’s use of it simplifies those themes to emphasize a message of toughness and opposition to inclusivity in the armed forces.
The Trump campaign’s appropriation of Full Metal Jacket underscores a broader trend in which Trump taps into cultural and media references to strengthen his messaging and appeal to his base. By invoking a familiar film that portrays a stern and unrelenting version of military life, Trump is reinforcing his position as a champion of traditional military values and as an opponent of what he calls the Biden administration’s “woke” military policies.
In this context, Trump’s deployment of Full Metal Jacket serves both as a rallying cry for his supporters and a sharp rebuke of the current direction of the U.S. military. As the campaign progresses, the use of iconic media in shaping political messages is likely to remain a powerful tool for Trump, even as it continues to spark debate and controversy.
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