Hegseth on Harvard petition against virtual learning: 'Stumbled on the right answer for all the wrong reasons'
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Fox News and Fox Nation host Pete Hegseth said he really wanted to cheer on the undergraduate students of Harvard University after they circulated a petition opposing a virtual fall semester — then he read their complaints.
"They stumbled on the right answer for all the wrong reasons," said Hegseth on "Fox and Friends" on Friday, as he promoted his live Fox Nation show on Friday, May 15 at 8 p.m. EDT.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"When I first saw this story I thought, 'They're yelling about liberty and freedom. And they're young and they're healthy and they want to set an example for the country, so they want to go back to school to rally everybody,'" he continued, feigning excitement.
"No," he joked. "It's about diversity."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Harvard Crimson reported earlier this week that nearly 700 undergraduates, parents and alumni have signed on to a petition objecting to a potential off-campus fall semester.
"Harvard has long admitted that one of the most important factors in ensuring the richness of such an education is the diversity of its admitted students," read the petition, "Virtual learning, however, also threatens to tear the very fabric of this diversity by eliminating the equalizing force of campus life."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The virtual fall would be rife with inequities if we were online," Hegseth teased, reading from the petition. "This is especially concerning if there was a return to letter grading. Heaven forbid if they gave A's, B's, C's, D's and F's at Harvard — if you're virtual."
In March, Harvard suspended its letter-grading system in favor of a "universal Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory grading system."
"This is all about the privileged class, you know, we have to make sure that everything is diverse," Hegseth concluded. "We have to be in-person to be diverse, what if we're not in-person then we can't be equal and what if they give us grades that would really hurt our earning potential — it's all the wrong reasons... unsurprisingly for Harvard."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}READ: EXCLUSIVE EXCERPTS OF HEGSETH'S NEW BOOK "AMERICAN CRUSADE"
To get more of Hegseth's commentary, watch Fox Nation Presents Friday Night Live with Pete Hegseth, which will be available for free on Fox Nation and streaming live on Fox News Digital and all Fox News social media platforms on Friday, May 15, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. EDT.
"It's kind of like Pete Hegseth unplugged," he said on "Fox and Friends." "We're going to answer questions, tell jokes, be candid, tell stories... "
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hegseth will also be reading excerpts from his new book, "American Crusade." For a limited time, any new purchase of a yearly Fox Nation subscription will also include a free, signed copy of "American Crusade."
Viewers can submit questions for Hegseth to answer live during the Fox Nation special through FoxNation.com, FoxNews.com and its associated Facebook pages.
To see more of Pete Hegseth's work on Fox Nation, including "Modern Warriors," "Battle for the Holy Land," and much more, go to Fox Nation and sign up today.
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