Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has earned many enemies in his six months leading the Pentagon, but he remains a favorite of President Donald Trump.
The president has long admired the former “Fox & Friends” host, and he doesn’t seem inclined to replace him as defense secretary despite his careless handling of classified information or his controversial ouster of several longtime allies from his inner circle. White House officials and outside allies told Politico that Hegseth seemed to be safe with Trump.
“He doesn’t care about the palace intrigue stuff — he just doesn’t,” said one top ally. “It’s not drama that impacts him or his agenda.”
Trump is pleased with Hegseth’s handling of the covert Operation Midnight Hammer operation against Iran’s nuclear facilities and the military’s actions at the border, and troops seem to love the secretary — even if Pentagon brass doesn’t trust him, the report stated.
“There’s a dirty little secret that folks in the White House won’t voice but their allies on the outside admit: No matter the drama, White House officials have to find a way to work with him because Trump has made clear that Hegseth is not going anywhere,” Politico reported.
“’The boss loves him — so it’s like, We’ll make it work,’ said one Trump ally close with the inner circle who has been aghast at the headlines.”
Hegseth abruptly fired three high-ranking officials – Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll – over leak allegations that many have come to believe were false, but Hegseth refuses to back down on the claims or seem inclined to issue the apology that many Trump allies believe the men deserve.
“Pete doesn’t want to take responsibility or be accountable,” said an individual close to Hegseth. “What he fears most is the president thinking he doesn’t control the building. So the lie has got to uphold.”
And his critics are waiting for that “fear” to happen — which they think is inevitable, Politico reported.
Hegseth has repeatedly made headlines for using third-party apps to discuss military operations or alienating other military leaders, and even his own allies agree that his leadership has been turbulent.
“It’s like the crème de la crème of dysfunction,” said the person close to Hegseth.
But so far the president doesn’t seem inclined to make any changes at the Pentagon, although critics say it’s only a matter of time.
“If they want to give Pete a pass — fine,” said one Hegseth critic. “Because at the end of the day, he’s going to keep f—ing up.”