Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth isn’t afraid to admit who’s boss.
During an interview on Fox News Sunday, Hegseth, who has rebranded himself as President Donald Trump’s “Secretary of War,” revealed the president wasn’t all that pleased with him during their most recent meeting.
Responding to a reporter’s question, “When was the last time someone yelled at you?” the smiling 45-year-old quipped: “The last time I was in the Oval Office.”
“President Trump’s the boss, he sets the tone,” the former Fox News anchor said. “If you don’t get it done, he’ll let you know about it, so that’s probably it.”
While what Hegseth is failing to “get done” is unclear, there’s no shortage of scandals engulfing the problematic Pentagon chief.
He was one of Trump’s most controversial cabinet appointments, owing to his lack of Pentagon experience, his position on women serving in the military, and an alleged history of alcoholism. The Senate narrowly confirmed him on Jan. 24, after Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie.
Some of his greatest headline hits include his central role in the initial Signal group chat leak, in which senior administration officials discussed classified details of a Yemen attack in a Signal thread that inadvertently included Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg.
Most recently, Hegseth abruptly fired the Navy’s chief of staff over the weekend in his latest purge of top brass—one of many high-profile departures under his leadership this year.
Additionally, the department is exploring “random polygraph tests” to curb a string of leaks that have repeatedly embarrassed him, sources tell The Washington Post. The dramatic step has led some critics to dub Hegseth “Paranoid Pete.”
The secretary was also the subject of endless ridicule this week for his verbal attack on “fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon,” after he ordered hundreds of senior leaders stationed worldwide to gather in person in Virginia—initially without any reason or explanation.
Hegseth has also been married three times—he became involved with both his second and third wives while still married to previous partners—and has four biological children and three step-children.
The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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