President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Army veteran and Fox News commentator Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon. As expected, this decision has ruffled some feathers.
Shortly after the announcement, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., took to Twitter to voice her concerns, stating that Hegseth, the “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host, “is not qualified to be the Secretary of Defense.” Warren, who has never served in the military, criticized Hegseth, a two-time Bronze Star recipient with deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay. Hegseth has also been an advocate for reforms at the Department of Veterans Affairs and holds degrees from Princeton and Harvard Universities.
The media quickly picked up on Warren’s message. Within hours, journalists were criticizing the pick, often omitting Hegseth’s military service. CNN’s Jim Acosta tweeted, “In a sign he has been making his cabinet selections while watching TV, Trump picks Fox anchor Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.” MSNBC’s Joy Reid went further, ignoring Hegseth’s military record and suggesting that Trump “is moving quickly to fill” what she called his “clown car” cabinet.
So, why the coordinated effort to delegitimize Hegseth and his service? While the left’s disdain for Trump and his associates is part of it, the real reason was inadvertently revealed by Politico. In a critical piece on Hegseth, an anonymous defense lobbyist lamented that the Trump nominee isn’t embedded in D.C.’s military-industrial complex. The lobbyist wanted “someone who actually has an extensive background in defense.”
The authors of the Politico piece also expressed concerns that Hegseth’s nomination “will do little to quell fears inside the Pentagon” that Trump will select a defense secretary who aligns with his agenda. They noted that Trump’s campaign rhetoric has fueled fears of a swift and divisive overhaul at the Pentagon.
The left’s issue with Hegseth isn’t that he’s a Fox News commentator. It’s that he’s an outsider who cares about the men and women in uniform, rather than being part of the government-defense contractor system.
For years, the left-wing bureaucracy running the Pentagon has created an unchecked apparatus that has undermined the effectiveness of America’s armed forces. Meritocracy and efficiency have been replaced with obsessions over neo-Marxist ideologies and DEI policies. Ensuring peace and completing missions have been sidelined in favor of never-ending military adventurism and decisions that benefit the defense lobby.
Despite the outrage over his nomination, Hegseth understands the military’s biggest problems better than the Democrats and media critics calling him “unqualified.” In a recent interview with fellow veteran Shawn Ryan, Hegseth explained that the military’s sole purpose should be winning wars, not conducting social experiments. He criticized the Pentagon bureaucracy for its ineptitude and highlighted the ongoing threat posed by Red China.
Hegseth’s biggest crime, in the eyes of the left, is his willingness to challenge the corrupt system that has festered in D.C. for decades. Unlike many of his predecessors, he understands that the men and women in uniform are devoted human beings, not pawns in a geopolitical chess match. His outsider status makes him a threat to the bureaucratic rot at the highest levels of the military, which is why he’s the perfect man for the job.
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