Pete Hegseth published a five-minute video on Thursday in which he defended his record and praised Donald Trump, as speculation grows that the defense secretary could lose his job. The post came hours after Trump acknowledged receiving calls urging him to fire Hegseth.
Pete Hegseth praises Donald Trump in new video
Hegseth framed the scrutiny around him as a political attack. “It’s all about the politics of personal destruction. Didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me,” he said in the video, filmed beside a sign reading “Department of War.” The secretary returned to Trump repeatedly.
He praised the president’s resilience and recounted the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, saying Trump “literally took a bullet for this nation.” Hegseth also asked Congress to approve a large Pentagon budget and defended the Iran war as a “courageous and historic effort.”
Furthermore, he used part of the monologue to air cultural grievances, calling DEI “a Marxist ideology built to destroy us” and saying diversity is not the country’s strength. He also said “patriot extremism” is “not a thing.”
This came after Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that Pete Hegseth “has done a fantastic job” and said he plans no staffing changes. He also admitted fielding angry calls about the defense secretary, saying, “I get these calls, you know, about him.” After all, the pressure ties back to the GOP’s losses in Tuesday’s elections.
CNN reported that Republican lawmakers and allies want to position Hegseth as the scapegoat for voter anger over the Iran war. The Atlantic reported that Hegseth has few allies inside the White House and that one outside adviser said, “Hegseth is good at telling the president what he wants to hear.” Trump had reportedly begun consulting close allies about Hegseth’s future before Election Day.
On Capitol Hill, Representative Thomas Massie has pushed to impeach Hegseth over the Iran hostilities, arguing the secretary exceeded congressional authorization. A vote could move forward once the House returns from recess.
