In a biting monologue on Tuesday night’s episode of The Daily Show, correspondent Jordan Klepper took aim at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, mocking his recent decision to rename North Carolina’s Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. The base had been renamed Fort Liberty in 2023 as part of an effort to stop honoring Confederate General Braxton Bragg, a controversial figure in American history. However, Hegseth’s attempt to restore the original name came with a twist—one that Klepper seized on with his signature wit and sarcasm. Instead of outright reverting to the name tied to the Confederate general, Hegseth’s order renamed the base after Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a relatively unknown World War II soldier who shares the same last name. Klepper skewered the move, calling it a “pussy move” and lampooning Hegseth for attempting to sidestep a law that prohibits naming military bases after Confederates.
Klepper’s critique was sharp and pointed, highlighting the absurdity of Hegseth’s workaround. “You named Fort Bragg after a different Bragg?” he quipped, suggesting that the decision was both cowardly and nonsensical. By choosing Roland Bragg, a man with no significant historical recognition—he didn’t even have a Wikipedia page until this week, Klepper noted—Hegseth effectively admitted that naming bases after Confederate generals was problematic. Yet, rather than embracing the change and moving on, Hegseth seemed determined to cling to the old name, even if it meant conjuring up a lesser-known figure to justify it. “So after all that bitching about not giving into ‘woke history,’” Klepper said, “you’re basically admitting that we shouldn’t name military bases after Confederate generals.” The irony was not lost on Klepper, who skewered Hegseth for trying to have it both ways.
The monologue also delved into the broader cultural debate over how the U.S. military—and American society at large—should handle symbols tied to the Confederacy. For many on the right, the renaming of Fort Bragg was seen as an overreach of political correctness, an attempt to erase history rather than learn from it. Hegseth, a vocal advocate for conservative values, seemed to position himself as a champion of tradition by pushing to restore the original name. Yet, by opting for Roland Bragg instead of Braxton Bragg, he inadvertently undermined his own argument. Klepper made it clear that the move was less about preserving history and more about appeasing a political base while technically complying with the law. “Pete Hegseth basically said, ‘Find me a guy named Bragg who served in the Army and didn’t own slaves,’” Klepper mocked, pointing out the absurdity of the situation.
Klepper’s jokes were as much about the weakness of Hegseth’s argument as they were about the futility of trying to navigate such a fraught issue. He even took it a step further, imagining how Hegseth might apply the same logic to other areas of his life. “Why do I get the feeling Pete’s gonna try to pull this with his wife?” he cracked. “‘Baby, baby, I didn’t cheat on you. Her name was also Susan, OK? I’m restoring greatness to our marriage!’” The humor was biting, but it also highlighted the slippery slope of trying to rewrite history—or at least rename it—for political convenience.
The monologue also touched on the deeper implications of the controversy. While the renaming of Fort Bragg might seem like a minor issue to some, it speaks to a broader struggle over how the U.S. military—and the nation as a whole—grapples with its past. For many, Confederate symbols like Braxton Bragg represent a legacy of racism and oppression that should no longer be celebrated. For others, they are a connection to history and heritage that should not be erased. Hegseth’s decision to rename the base after Roland Bragg rather than leave it as Fort Liberty tried to straddle both sides of the debate, but it ended up pleasing neither. Instead, it became a symbol of the ongoing cultural divide over issues of race, history, and identity.
In the end, Klepper’s monologue was less about the name change itself and more about the kind of political gamesmanship that often surrounds such decisions. By mocking Hegseth’s attempt to thread the needle, Klepper shed light on the absurdity of trying to satisfy both sides of a deeply polarizing issue. Whether you agree with the decision to rename the base or not, it’s hard to deny that Hegseth’s approach—find a guy with the same last name and hope no one notices—was more of a cop-out than a bold stance. As Klepper made clear, sometimes, you just have to own up to the choices you’re making, rather than trying to sneak them past everyone. And if you’re going to revive a name tied to a Confederate general, at least have the courage to do it outright instead of hiding behind a lesser-known soldier with the same name. After all, as Klepper put it, “woke” might be over, but accountability is always in style.
