Pete Hegseth's situation went well until it met the richest man in the world. His pursuit of Donald Trump’s agenda at the Pentagon has made him a star in the president’s adviser. The former Fox News host has acted quickly to back off diversity initiatives in the military and expand the role of the U.S. military in stopping immigration on the southern border. When Trump began his second term, he was willing to challenge the Republican orthodox foreign policy and the shock of critics.
But later, in mid-March, Hegseth hit Elon Musk in the White House corridor and extended his destiny invitation to Tech Titan for an exclusive military briefing.
“Until then, the Department of Defense was the golden kid,” a person familiar with the office of Heggs told us.
Trump was upset when he learned of the proposed briefing the night before the scheduled meeting. Although Hergus denied New York timeThe March 21 meeting will focus on potential war plans with Beijing, and Trump told others that any speech to China would be inappropriate for Musk, where Musk has a broad commercial interest. Senior officials briefed the merchants in the tank, a secure Pentagon conference room where the military brass troop summoned the commander-in-chief, which made the unpopular view of Musk waving beyond government power.
On the phone call a few hours later era It is understood that Trump made it clear to Hergers that the briefing is a "bad look" for the administration. Trump once again expressed his dissatisfaction when Heggs visited the White House the next day to debut the Air Force's latest fighter. These people told us that Trump said of the briefing: “It’s crazy and stupid.” “Why should we do that?”
White House officials told us that most of Trump’s anger towards Musk retained Musk and did not express his anger at Heggs. However, based on previously unreported Musk episodes and Trump’s response to Hergers, it was a turning point for the new Pentagon head. Since then, a series of embarrassing revelations, including Hegseth's disclosure of military attack plans on messaging applications, has sparked turmoil and suspicion at the highest level of the Pentagon. They also strengthened public scrutiny of Hergers' judgment and deepened questions about his ability toward the president's military priorities, including overthrowing and proving the power of the United States to China, which the president believes was eroded by his predecessor. "Things are going in the right direction," added someone familiar with Hergs' office. "But then the leak and signal gate really screwed up Pete."
Hegseth oversees more than three million workforces, with no chief of staff budget approaching $1 trillion. His shrinking circle of close relatives lacks extensive Pentagon experience. The main military commander is preparing to retire without replacement. The aide next to it announced the incredible details of the dispute at the senior level of the department, and a series of unflattering media coverage has fueled what many officials say about the Heggs people’s attention to stopping the leak.
White House officials said Trump continues to support Heggs-Defense Secretary’s work “100% secure”, and we are told. The official also pointed out that in addition to having Trump’s feelings, Heggs was personally loved by Vice President JD Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told us that the entire administration is “completely behind Secretary Hegses’ mission, demanding priority to our fighters, eliminate terrorists, and restore common sense in the Department of Defense.” However, dozens of Congressional Democrats called on Hegs to resign. A Republican, Nebraska representative Don Bacon, suggested he was fired.
Musk's Pentagon visit originated from conversations with Musk's sparse office, which was following an impromptu meeting in the White House corridor when Hegseth suggested Musk come to the Pentagon to talk to senior military leaders. The Minister of Defense later authorized the meeting to be held in the tank. Several people told us that Hergs’ invitation was the moment when the Ministry of Defense faced the prospect of Musk’s ministry cuts like other government agencies. Although Hegseth touted Doge's steps to reduce federal contractors and other personnel, the Department of Defense has not pushed the process. The invitation is the opportunity for Pentagon leaders to help guide Doge's direction to cut down one of the world's largest bureaucracies. (Representative Musk did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)
Just three days after Musk's Pentagon visit, Herges' judgment was once again questioned. Atlantiche revealed that he has been added to a high-level signal chat about the plan to bomb Houthi militants in Yemen. Although at the time - National Security Adviser Michael Waltz accidentally invited Goldberg to the clue, it was Hegseth who escalated the exchange by releasing details of the upcoming Houthi target, including the exact era when the Us Jets would fly over Yemen's target. Current and former officials said such pre-attack information is often highly classified due to the dangers its disclosures may pose to pilots.
A series of other revelations followed, including a detailed introduction to the unusual role played by Heggs’ wife Jennifer in the Pentagon work, where she attended meetings with foreign officials and issued orders related to her husband’s media appearance. News reports also show that Hegseth gave his younger brother the senior position in the Pentagon and authorized the installation of the powder room for thousands of dollars. Current and former officials told us that Hegseth has since threatened a lie detector, including numerous senior officials, including the acting chairman. He also overturned decades of military-media relations, expelled media from their long-standing Pentagon workspace in support of Trump-friendly voices and ended journalists’ visits to most of the buildings.
when Atlantic The president, who interviewed Trump at the Oval Office in late April, said he had had a "talk" with Hegseth about various awkward reports and predicted: "I think he'll put it together."
However, the Musk and Signal plot reveals the tendency of some familiar with Hergs’ tenure to describe him as his tendency to use his position to “bending” the world’s most advanced military. They said he tried to impress others by obtaining sensitive information and the ability to guide the U.S. military, even if it meant a little blunt along the way. "He has such a $180,000 Ferrari. That's his Pentagon," another person familiar with Hergus' office told us. “He likes to show off.”
Hegseth had been serving as a military assistant when he took office as Hegseth and tried to name him Chief of Staff. Beria often asked for more senior officials, and he suddenly promoted to a senior political position, rubbing many in the wrong way.
Trump personally blocked Buria's position because he had connections with Joe Biden's Pentagon head Lloyd Austin, White House officials told us. People familiar with the staff at the Pentagon told us that the White House explored Joe Kasper, who hired at least four replacements, suddenly left the April campaign to take on a new role in the department, but no one worked hard to solve it.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that personnel changes are "a natural and necessary feature of any efficient organization."
“The Americans outside the ring road don’t care about ‘the palace plot’ or the mainstream media gossip that caused a sensation,” Parnell said. “They care about the action.”
In response to White House’s recommendations, the Pentagon has begun gradually expanding its media engagement in recent weeks to the extent of Maga-friendly sales, from Latin America in Hegseth and journalists at several mainstream printing organizations in Asia and Asia travel. Kingsley Wilson, Pentagon press secretary, told us that Hergs' trip involved journalists brought from "a wide range of media." But Hegseth insisted on a rote script in response to the unfavorable news: trying to discredit the media, and then reveals his efforts to rebuild the army and restore what he calls the "warrior spirit", saying he said he was lost under democratic leaders. "That's what the media does," he told reporters during a family Easter event in the White House. He signaled to journalists in front of him, calling them "scammers." "They try to cut and burn people and destroy their reputation. It won't work with me."
Trump supports his Pentagon chief, which shows that he admires the aggressive approach Heggs has taken to attack government critics. The president said late last month that he was a "tough cookie" and "had gone through a lot." Trump also spent a lot of political capital to push Hegseth's nomination - a tiebreaker that had to vote for a tiebreak after the Senate's 50-50 confirmation deadlock and is reluctant to give up on him now, especially since it looks like it's giving the media a scalp.
Tests will be conducted next week when Heggs begins a series of hearings on Capitol Hill to address government budget requests. Heggs is bound to face the thorny issues of the Democrats, including his handling of sensitive information, unrest in the upper Pentagon and the firing of senior military officials. These officials include the second ever black chairman and the first female naval chief, both of which Hegseth previously suggested were promoted due to their race and gender. Meanwhile, the Supreme Republican is dissatisfied with the government Expenditure suggestions They said there wasn't enough money to defend.
Many in the Pentagon questioned how long the president's support for his boss will last. During his first term, Trump rode four defense secretaries and four national security advisers. He also expressed support for Waltz until the National Security Advisor was put aside last month and demanded a strong role in the United Nations.
Although the president seems to appreciate Hegseth's public style, over time he may need more defense ministers as the government faces pressure to achieve a series of complex and chain goals, including a fixation of Byzantine military aggressive systems, restoring a reduced defense industry, and strengthening the U.S. response to China's military rise.
One person’s respect for Trump, one person tells us: “But you can’t have a one-dimensional game. At some point, it will get older.”