There are two versions of Pete Hegseth. One appears at press conferences, where brief questions and frequent interruptions allow confidence to be mistaken for competence. The other appears before Congress, where longer questions and quieter pauses eventually demand a second attempt. The second version is far harder to watch.
House Hearing Sets the Tone
On Wednesday, the House witnessed Hegseth grow sweaty and angry as lawmakers pressed him on inconvenient issues like the actual cost of the Iran war, its projected duration, and the effects on national and global economies. At one embarrassing point, he tried to shut down a congressman with the retort, "Whose side are you cheering for?!"
Senate Hearing Reveals Deeper Flaws
Today, in the Senate, the pace was slower and the questions more probing, but Hegseth again came up short. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) opened by stating that President Trump had "no coherent strategy" when he "unilaterally" decided to begin a war with Iran. Reed noted that the US is now "in a worse strategic position," with wounded and dead soldiers, "significant damage" to Middle East bases, expensive loss of bombs and missiles, lowered morale, skyrocketing global gasoline and fertilizer prices, and American families paying for "a war they have nothing to do with."
Reed expressed concern that Hegseth had been "telling the president what he wants to hear instead of what he needs to hear," citing Hegseth's boasting about "no stupid rules of engagement" after accidentally killing dozens of schoolgirls in a missile strike and taking Kid Rock "for a joyride in an Apache helicopter."
Hegseth responded with his usual bombast, clutching emotional support words like "WAR FIGHTERS!" and "LETHALITY!" He talked about "great business deals" and repeated his line about America's "biggest adversaries" being unbelieving Democrats and Republicans in Congress, "defeatists from the cheap seats" who cannot accept that Trump has "the courage no other president has had."
When asked by Reed about firing decorated General George, Hegseth talked himself into a hole, saying the military needs generals "running in that direction as fast as possible" but refusing to clarify what that direction means. Reed noted it seemed to involve "an intense interest in Christianity" and "nationalism." Hegseth reacted defensively: "I am not ashamed of my faith in Jesus Christ and if you want to shame me for that, go ahead." Reed calmly replied that Hegseth should never be ashamed, but that was not the point. Hegseth continued, "I've heard the likes of things people like you suggest," and then refused to answer whether he tolerates other religions. Reed concluded, "I think that's rhetorical, not factual. Thank you."
Senator Jeanne Shaheen pressed Hegseth on why funds earmarked for Ukraine did not appear to have been used for that purpose. Hegseth talked so ridiculously around the question that Shaheen asked his financial officer to answer instead. The response was, "We'll get back to you," which had already been said multiple times during the meeting regarding basic budgetary questions.
During an exchange with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Hegseth, who struggles during conversation with women, tried to patronize her. "Why do you continue to prosecute a war that the American people aren't behind?" Gillibrand asked. Hegseth replied that he did not believe her numbers on US support for the war, claiming "the troops" support it. When she asked about costs, he reeled out a canned statement: "What is the cost of a nuclear armed Iran?!" Gillibrand retorted, "We know this is a rhetorical question you ask everywhere," adding that "there is no evidence we are safer because of this war."
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) returned to costs, and Hegseth responded that the real problem is "the negative nature in which you see" the war. He repeated his allegory about the press being Pharisees and added, "It's defeatist Democrats like you who cloud the minds of the American people who otherwise would support us!" This undermined his earlier assertion that the American people do support him.
Most alarmingly, when Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed him about possible insider trading around Trump's announcements on Iran, Hegseth stuttered and ended up announcing that he was able to keep Operation Midnight Hammer secret. Warren clearly got under his skin; he started sighing, rolling his eyes, and at one point kept shouting, "Big, fat negative!" in response to her critical questioning. This physical manifestation reflected his apparent belief that he should be above question, especially by women, and that Americans should simply trust his vibes.
Watching Hegseth come under proper scrutiny is like watching Buzz Lightyear realize he is not a real astronaut. He comes in fighting, but over time, denial and anger set in. Unfortunately, there is no heartwarming buddy story on the horizon—just more war, more heel-digging, and more insistence that President Trump is the most courageous man on the planet. Ultimately, this was a fundamental mismatch: senators asked for details and timelines, and Hegseth could only offer adjectives. The pattern was unmistakable: a question asked, a question avoided, a slogan deployed, a voice raised, and then a quiet yielding of time. Over and over again, until the shape became impossible to ignore. The strategy is so perfect that it cannot be elucidated. The president is so beyond reproach that his decision-making should not need explanation. The war is going so well that nobody should believe what their own eyes and ears tell them. A lot rides on the answers that Pete Hegseth cannot give. Behind the exhausting, unrelenting hyperbole, he gave no cause for confidence today.
