Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launched a fierce defense of Donald Trump’s war on Iran and blasted Americans as the “biggest adversary” while insisting the ongoing war has been a total success.
The defense secretary’s political attack came on Thursday as he appeared for day two of grilling on Capitol Hill, where he was testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless naysayers and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” Hegseth declared during his opening statement.
“Defeatists from the cheap seats, who two months in, seek to undermine the incredible efforts that have been undertaken and the historic nature of taking on a 40-year threat with the courage no other president has had,” Hegseth added.
Hegseth’s attacks on Americans did not stop there, as he pushed back as multiple Democratic senators pointed out that the majority of Americans do not support the war, as has been shown in a series of polls.
When Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal pointed out that Trump’s goals of the war have not yet been achieved, Hegseth blamed the high disapproval for the war on Democrats and the press.
“The negative nature in which you characterize the incredible and historic effort in Iran is part of the reason, senator, the American people view it the way they do,” he complained. “It’s why I looked out at the press corps at our Pentagon and called them ‘the Pharisees in the press.’ It’s because they look for every problem.”
Blumenthal had been trying to ask about Ukraine, but Hegseth was not done ranting, “You look for every problem that exists and you’ve missed—You’ve missed the plank."
The senator kept trying to ask his question about Ukraine, but the defense secretary was not done casting blame.
“We’re two months into a historic military success in Iran, and you want to call it a defeat, and it’s defeatist Democrats like you that cloud the mind of the American people and would otherwise fully support preventing an Iran from having a nuclear weapon,” he said, pointing at the senator.
It was a bizarre argument for the Pentagon chief to make about Americans’ understanding of the war, after he had moments earlier claimed that they could see through the spin while sparring with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand over support for the conflict.
“Three out of five Americans are against this war today,” the New York senator said.
“I believe we have the support of the American people, and we have briefed regularly what this mission looks like and why it’s critically important that we undertake it,” the defense secretary claimed as he accused Democrats of wanting to declare defeat again.
“You don’t care that the American people are not supporting this war. You don’t care whether the American people support this war?” Gillibrand asked.
“The American people are quite smart, and they understand and see through spin,” Hegseth claimed,
