Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a former college football coach with no military experience himself, said 'There is nobody more military than me'

• US Sen. Tommy Tuberville said "there is nobody more military than me."
• Tuberville has no military experience and was a football coach prior to entering politics.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a former college football coach-turned-politician with no military experience, said in a televised interview that "there is nobody more military than me."

In an interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins, the senator from Alabama said his father was "career military" and that he personally is "all for the military."

Tuberville's comments arose during questioning from Collins about the senator's decision to single-handedly block hundreds of promotions for high-ranking military officials in fight against the Department of Defense's policy allowing service members to take time off and get reimbursed for going out of state to get an abortion.

Tuberville doubled down on his decision in his interview with Collins, who pressed him on the topic, saying that he wouldn't be blocking promotions if it was hurting recruitment or military readiness.

But as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said to senators in March, according to Politico, "Not approving the recommendations for promotions actually creates a ripple effect through the force that makes us far less ready than we need to be."

While speaking to Collins, Tuberville was also asked about white nationalism in the US and if white nationalists should be able to serve in the military.

Tuberville said in the interview he was "totally against racism," but declined to condemn white nationalism as inherently racist.

'Well, that's your opinion," he said.