Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has hit out at Donald Trump’s MAGA base over concerns that U.S. ground troops could be deployed in Iran as the war escalates.
As gas prices soared past $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, Hegseth declined to rule out boots on the ground in the Middle East while the administration searches for an off-ramp from the messy conflict.
However, when asked what he would say to Trump supporters who love the president but didn’t want to send in ground forces, the former Fox News host clapped back.
“As far as President Trump and boots on the ground, I don’t understand why the base, which they do, they understand, wouldn’t have faith in his ability to execute on this,” he said.
“Look at his track record of pursuing peace through strength; America First outcomes.”
“We’re not going to foreclose any options,” he continued.
“Our adversaries right now think there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are.”
The remarks come at a volatile moment in the widening Middle East conflict, with an Iranian drone hitting a fully laden Kuwaiti oil tanker off Dubai overnight.
The strike was one of the most significant attacks on a vessel since the war began four weeks ago, pushing crude prices higher and heightening tension around the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most crucial oil chokepoint.
But with Iran continuing to use the Strait as leverage, Trump has reportedly told aides he’s willing to end the U.S. military operation against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, effectively leaving other affected nations to clean up the mess America created.
But the issue has also fractured MAGAworld, where some prominent figures and military experts have warned about the dangers of escalating the conflict even further.
Among them is Trump ally Erik Prince, a Republican mega donor, former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, and founder of the private security firm Blackwater, who is regarded in MAGA circles as “the pre-eminent thinker on the military.”
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week, Prince warned that Americans could soon see images of U.S. ships being decimated if the administration puts boots on the ground.
“I don’t share the optimism of the administration that there’s going to be a peaceful stop to this,” said Prince, who often acts as an unofficial adviser to Trump officials, with ties to the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department.
“They will burn it down. And my real concern is that if they try to put boots on the ground and force the Strait of Hormuz, you will see imagery of burning American warships in the next couple of weeks. And I don’t think people are really prepared for that.”
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon also weighed in this week, calling on the Department of Homeland Security to deport Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son, Yair, and send him to fight in Iran.
“Netanyahu’s kid down in Miami, turf him out tomorrow,” Bannon said on his WarRoom podcast. “Put a uniform on him. Let’s have him in the first wave.”
The call is similar to that of former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, who last week suggested Trump’s 19-year-old son Barron should enlist in the military as a way to justify his father’s war.
Speaking at the Pentagon on Tuesday morning, Hegseth managed to avoid his usual rant against the media over how it was covering the war.
He did, however, take aim at America’s allies, doubling down on an angry Truth Social post Trump had earlier issued, telling those countries: “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself.”
“The USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!” Trump wrote.
Asked about the NATO alliance, Hegseth told reporters: “You don’t have much of an alliance if you have countries that are not willing to stand with you when you need them.”
He also conceded on Tuesday that Iran retained the ability to retaliate despite a monthlong U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign, but insisted that their capabilities had been severely degraded.
Asked about thousands of American paratroopers and Marines now arriving in the Middle East for what could become a dangerous new phase of the war, Hegseth said he wouldn’t disclose how they might be employed.
“Don’t tell your enemy what you’re willing to do or not do, and don’t tell your enemy when you’re willing to stop,” he said.
