Pete Hegseth
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Talks between Israel and Hamas continue in Qatar
When President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense. He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability and readiness.
Morning Wire
Hegseth’s Confirmation Hearing & Israel-Hamas Deal Nears | 1.15.25
When President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense. He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser focused on lethality, meritocracy, war fighting, accountability, and readiness. Unlike the current administration politics, should play no part in military matters. We are not Republicans. We are not Democrats.
Morning Wire
Hegseth’s Confirmation Hearing & Israel-Hamas Deal Nears | 1.15.25
We are American warriors. Our standards will be high and they will be equal, not equitable.
Morning Wire
Hegseth’s Confirmation Hearing & Israel-Hamas Deal Nears | 1.15.25
I have failed in things in my life, and thankfully, I'm redeemed by my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Morning Wire
Hegseth’s Confirmation Hearing & Israel-Hamas Deal Nears | 1.15.25
Why do they want to destroy me? Because I'm a change agent and a threat to them because Donald Trump was willing to choose me, to empower me, to bring the Defense Department back to what it really should be, which is warfighting.
Morning Wire
Hegseth’s Confirmation Hearing & Israel-Hamas Deal Nears | 1.15.25
Senator, those are multiple false anonymous reports peddled by NBC News that run directly contradictory to the dozens of men and women at Fox News Channel who I work with who came on the record.
Morning Wire
Hegseth’s Confirmation Hearing & Israel-Hamas Deal Nears | 1.15.25
In those ground combat roles, what is true is that the weight of the ruck on your back doesn't change. The weight of the 155 round that you have to carry doesn't change. And so whether it's a man or a woman, they have to meet the same high standards. And Senator, in any place where those things have been eroded,
Morning Wire
Hegseth’s Confirmation Hearing & Israel-Hamas Deal Nears | 1.15.25
or in courses, criteria have been changed in order to meet quotas, racial quotas, or gender quotas, that is putting a focus on something other than readiness, standards, meritocracy, and lethality.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Military Overhaul & Wall Street’s DeepSeek Disruption | 1.28.25
You have to rip root and branch. the politics and divisive policies out of these institutions and then focus them on creating and preparing actual future military leadership.
Morning Wire
Trump’s Military Overhaul & Wall Street’s DeepSeek Disruption | 1.28.25
And we need more uniformed members going back into West Point, the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy, as a tour to teach with their wisdom of what they've learned in uniform instead of just more civilian professors that came from the same left-wing woke universities that they left and then try to push that into service academies. When that changes, Senator,
Morning Wire
Trump’s Military Overhaul & Wall Street’s DeepSeek Disruption | 1.28.25
I truly believe under Donald Trump, we will have a recruiting renaissance.
Morning Wire
Jack Smith Report Released & Terror-Related Exemptions | Afternoon Update | 1.14.25
I've never been party to torture. We are a country that fights by the rule of law. What an American-first national security policy is not going to do is hand its prerogatives over to international bodies
Morning Wire
Jack Smith Report Released & Terror-Related Exemptions | Afternoon Update | 1.14.25
I was talking about standards.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 11-12-2024 9PM EST
He does have a military background. He's a major in the Army National Guard. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has degrees from Princeton and Harvard, and he's written about the military, including a recent book, The War on Warriors, where he argues that U.S. troops have been poorly served by military leaders who have become too liberal in his view.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 11-12-2024 9PM EST
He's a staunch supporter of Trump when he's on Fox, and he has on many occasions argued in defense of U.S. troops who've been accused of war crimes.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-25-2025 6PM EST
Restore the warrior ethos in everything that we do. rebuild our military, and reestablish deterrence. We don't want to fight wars.
Pod Save America
Biden’s Final Warning
Senator, I am not yet the Secretary of Defense. If confirmed, I would be party to any number of conversations, which I would not reveal what I have discussed with the President of the United States.
The Bulwark Podcast
Adam Kinzinger and Mark Kelly: Dirty Little Secret
I'm not going to get ahead of conversations I would have with the president. However, there are laws and processes inside our constitution that would be followed.
The Bulwark Podcast
Adam Kinzinger and Mark Kelly: Dirty Little Secret
Senator, I'm glad we finally got to the topic of border security equaling national security because it's been abdicated and ignored for the last four years.
The Bulwark Podcast
Adam Kinzinger and Mark Kelly: Dirty Little Secret
Senator, I am not yet the Secretary of Defense. If confirmed, I would be party to any number of conversations, which I would not reveal what I have discussed with the President of the United States.
The Bulwark Podcast
Adam Kinzinger and Mark Kelly: Dirty Little Secret
Senator, everything we will do would be lawful and under the Constitution, but I recognize...
The Bulwark Podcast
Adam Kinzinger and Mark Kelly: Dirty Little Secret
Is that true or false? anonymous smears.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, we're going to address that. We won World War II with seven four-star generals. Today, we have 44 four-star generals. There's an inverse relationship between the size of staffs and victory on the battlefield. We don't need more bureaucracy at the top. We need more warfighters empowered at the bottom.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
So it's going to be my job working with those that we hire and those inside the administration to identify those places where fat can be cut so it can go toward lethality.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, I know there was a great deal of outreach to multiple offices. Schedules get full. There's a lot going on.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
And I welcome the opportunity in my schedule to have an opportunity to sit down.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, at Vets for Freedom, we were a small upstart. Our focus was working on Capitol Hill, going back to the battlefield, war fighters. Just the number, please. We probably had eight to ten full-time staff and lots of volunteers.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
I think we had... Over 100 full-time staff at Concern Vets for America, roughly, with thousands of volunteers. I was also a headquarters company commander, which would have been a couple of hundred. So nothing remotely near the size of the Defense Department, I would acknowledge that.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, I'm grateful to be hired by one of the most successful CEOs in American history. Should I be confirmed?
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
She's the smartest, most capable, loving, humble, honest person I've ever met. In addition to being incredibly beautiful. Don't forget about your kids. I'm supposed to talk about my kids.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Oh, an amazing mother. Yes. Of our blended family of seven.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, absolutely not. Just as President Trump is assembling his cabinet, I look forward and already am in the process of building one of the best possible teams you can imagine with decades and decades of experience outside of the Pentagon, driving innovation and excellence, and also inside the building knowing how to make it happen. Yes, sir.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
In both organizations, we had a board, yes.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, the only reason I've had success in life, to include my wonderful wife, is because of people more capable around me and having the self-confidence to empower them and say, hey, run with the ball. Run with the football. Take it down the field. We'll do this together. I don't care who gets the credit. And in this case, that's how the Pentagon will be run.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
First of all, Senator, thank you for the question. Thank you for your time. I think the first and most important thing we could have done is elect Donald Trump as the new commander in chief because past is prologue.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Our warfighters understand what kind of commander in chief they're going to get in President Donald Trump, someone who stands behind them, someone who gives them clear missions, someone who ends wars decisively. And the issue of Ukraine was mentioned and ensures new wars are not started.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Could you repeat the question, Senator?
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
I have not been involved in international security arrangements because I have not been in government other than serving in the military. So my job has been to lead men and women in combat.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
You're talking about defense arrangements. I mean, NATO might be one that you're referring to.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Status of Forces Agreement. I've been a part of teaching about Status of Forces Agreements.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
I couldn't tell you the exact amount of nations in that. But I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and in Australia and trying to work on submarines with them. None of those countries are in ASEAN.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
There was a minor incursion under Barack Obama into Crimea, followed by nothing under President Trump, followed by an all out war. assault by Vladimir Putin into Ukraine under the Biden administration. That did not happen under Donald Trump. Donald Trump managed the Taliban.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
The Biden administration, Afghanistan collapsed tragically, ending the lives of 13 at Abbey Gate, who we remember every single day, and no one was held accountable for that. Chinese spy balloons were flying over the country. None of that happened under Donald Trump, and our warfighters understand that. So there's no better recruiter, in my mind, for our military than President Donald Trump.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, I think there are already, to the credit of, I believe the Army and other services have now caught up to that, which have piloted programs that have had some success that have allowed young Americans who want to serve in the military but can't necessarily pass the ASFAB or pass the APFT to get into basic training an opportunity to get caught up, a preparatory class.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Unfortunately, yes, we do have a problem of obesity in our country, not necessarily something that the if I'm confirmed secretary of defense is able to address. But I do think leading from the front matters. I do think having a secretary of defense that will go out and do PT with the troops matters that has been out there and done that before.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
And hopefully that's a motivating factor for young people. But it. The reality of obesity and criminal backgrounds and medical problems have long been an issue of recruitment in America, unfortunately.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
What changed is the perception of military service because of the condition of the services and, frankly, because of, in some ways, the way our schools don't teach young people to love the country anymore. And if you don't love the country, why do you want to serve that country? That's a deeper problem.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
But all of those things need to be addressed to revive recruiting, and obesity is certainly a part of it. Thank you for that.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, absolutely. A number one from day one with a mandate from the commander in chief. who received that mandate when Americans spoke out loudly and said, we want peace through strength, we want America first foreign policy, and we don't want political ideology driving decisions inside our Defense Department. That was clear.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
It's an infection that the American people are acutely aware of, which the men and women in this room have lived firsthand. I've lived it firsthand. And that's why it will be a priority. And I truly believe, and I'm humbled by this, The response we've already seen from young men and women who've decided to join the military when they had said, I wasn't going to.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
But seeing a commander-in-chief, Donald Trump, reassured them. Seeing the possibility, if confirmed, of a secretary of defense that would have their back reassured them. And so in the first couple of months after President Trump...
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
My job is to come alongside him, should I be confirmed, and continue to emphasize his emphasis on warfighting, on getting anything that doesn't contribute to meritocracy outlawed.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, that's a very important conversation, one that I've been looking at a great deal. A lot of it, just to be clear, involves classifications and understanding precisely cost and capabilities, including capabilities of enemy systems, both not just fourth and fifth, but potential sixth generation, which we've already seen a prototype released from the Chinese.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
That's a dangerous development considering at least the publicly understood condition of NGAD, which I look forward to the opportunity to looking underneath the hood on that. But ensuring fourth and fifth are capable and upgraded as necessary will be a part of our contingency.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
But when you look at what's happening in the Indo-Pacific, say operability range is going to matter because it's such a large battle space, that will all factor in decisions that are made. And that's where I feel, frankly, a little bit liberated. is that I didn't work at Lockheed or any number of, pick a defense contractor. I didn't mean to point one out in particular. Pick any. I haven't.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
I don't have a special interest in any particular system or any particular company or any particular narrative. I want to know what works. I want to know what defeats our enemies, what keeps us safe, what deters them, what keeps our enemies up at night. Whatever that is, I want more of it. And I want to invest in it. And I know that's the view that President Trump has as well.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
I look forward to working with you on that, Senator, because unmanned will be a very important part of the way future wars are fought. Just the idea of survivability for a human being drives cost and time in ways that unmanned systems do not. But I look forward to that conversation, Senator.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, veterans deserve the benefits they've earned. I have... been in many battles with traditional veterans organizations over differences of opinion about how to deliver those services, including veterans choice.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
VSOs is a very broad term. We were a VSO also, ma'am. But some of those services took a traditionally bureaucratic approach.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, I think we should be ashamed as a nation of the amount of veterans that commit suicide because they hit a brick wall. They commit suicide because they hit a brick wall of the bureaucracy of the VA. And the reformers are not courage enough.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, with all due humility, I don't know that there's anyone in this room over the last 20 years that have worked harder to ensure that our veterans are taken care of. It has been a passion of my life alongside with so many on this dais to make sure that veterans receive, and it is a recruiting crisis.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
It's a benefit they've earned and a hand up to the next chapter of their life. But these are your words then.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, the world has had, our friends in the world have had no better ally. Our allies have had no better friend than President Donald Trump, who's reinvigorated a NATO alliance, who's stood behind Israel in every way, in ways this administration has not. He has ensured that the NATO alliance has become far more robust. He worked with allies in the Pacific as well.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Best guidance to the president of the United States on matters like that.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Well, Senator, thank you for the question. First and foremost, up front, you have to tear out DEI and CRT initiatives root and branch out of institutions. 100%.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
And then you have to put in Army, Navy, and Air Force secretaries and others, civilian positions at the helm, who are committed to the same priorities that the President of the United States is, and if confirmed, the Secretary of Defense will be. Send a clear message that this is not a time for equity. Equity is a very different word than equality. Equality is the bedrock of our military.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Men and women, duty positions in uniform, black, white, doesn't matter. We treat you equally based on who you are in the image of God as an individual. And we all get the same bad haircuts. You're not an individual. You're part of a group. Equity prescribes some sort of an outcome based on differing attributes that we have that divide us. What skin color are you? What gender are you?
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
And then infuse that into institutions which manifest in things like quotas, formal or informal, which does what to morale? sends it in the tubes, and it makes people feel like they're being judged by something other than how good they are at their job, which is poisonous inside institutions.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, I will commit to this because the commander in chief has committed to this, that not only will they be reinstated, they will receive an apology, back pay and rank that they lost because they were forced out due to an experimental vaccine.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, I was not involved in that.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, the overwhelming majority of anyone who's worked for me, including the on-the-record statements that have been submitted to this, with their name on it, on the record, men and women who worked with me every day are the overwhelming preponderance of evidence that testify to my leadership and professionalism in leading Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
My leadership has been completely impugned on these veterans organizations. that did fantastic work on behalf of men and women fighting overseas and advocating, and we managed our financial books with integrity across the board.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
All anonymous, all false, all refuted by my colleagues... who I worked with for 10 years at 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, all I'm pointing out is the false claims against me.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
I really do think it comes back to strong, clear leadership. patriotic, pro-American leadership that says we're not going to focus on all the other political prerogatives. That's why we all have political perspectives. I said this before and I'll say it again. In uniform, none of that matters. You wear green, you wear blue, you bleed red. That's it. Who you vote for doesn't matter.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
But when the perception of that changes, then you don't want people deciding whether to serve based on a political party in power. That's a dangerous thing for continuity inside your military. And it's fragile right now. President Trump. And if I'm confirmed with my leadership, we're going to restore the continuity of an apolitical military that acts decisively and only based on merit.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
They sound basic, but they're fundamental.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, I only support hiring and promoting and admitting the best and brightest, whatever their background is.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
No, Senator. I know in any one of my jobs, if I had decided to go AWOL for even a day or two in uniform or around that, that would have been a concern.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, thank you for your service. But I reject the premise that President Trump is going to be giving illegal orders.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, anybody of any party could give an order that is against the Constitution or against the law.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
I start by saying I reject the premise that President Trump...
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
For more on many of these stories and news you can trust, go to charliekirk.com.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, I'm not familiar with the article you're pointing to in 2013, but it underscores my argument completely. Because in that 2013 argument, I was talking about standards. Standards are what it's always been about, Senator.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Always been about Senate standards.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, again, I very much appreciate you bringing up my comments from 2013, because for me, this issue has always been about standards. And unfortunately, because of some of the people that have been in political power for the last four years, priorities other than standards, lethality, and meritocracy have driven decision making.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, the concerns I have and the concerns that many have had, especially in ground combat units, is that in pursuit of certain percentages or quotas, standards have been changed. And that makes the combat more difficult for everybody involved.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
Senator, it's not even a question I've thought about because it's not one that, it's not one, my motivation for this job has never been about what could conceivably come next.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing Watch Party
I would consult with the president about what the policy should be at the defense department.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
basically says, yes, ma'am, women in our military, as I have said publicly, have and continue to make amazing contributions across all aspects of our battlefield.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
But just saying when I'm talking about that issue, it's not about the capabilities of men and women. It's about standards.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Standards that we, unfortunately, over time, have seen eroded in certain duty positions, certain schools, certain places, which affects readiness, which is what I care about the most.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Senator, that is a correct characterization.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
It was a false claim then and a false claim now.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Anonymous smears.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Absolutely not. Anonymous smears.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Not three million.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
I think we had over 100 full-time staff at Concerned Vets for America, roughly with thousands of volunteers. So 100 people. I was also a head
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Depends on the magazine, but standard issue is 30, Senator.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
We fight enemies also, Senator, as our generation understands, that play by no rules. They use civilians as human shields. So are you saying that the Geneva Convention should not be observed? We don't do that. We follow rules. We follow rules, but we don't need burdensome rules of engagement that make it impossible for us to win these wars.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
We are a country that fights by the rule of law and our men and women always do. And yet we have too many people here in air conditioned offices that like to point fingers at the guys in dark and dangerous places. The gals in helicopters in enemy territory who are doing things that people in Washington, D.C. would never dare to do or send in.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Well, thank you, Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reid, and all the members of this committee for this opportunity today.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Should I be confirmed, I look forward to working with this committee, senators from both parties, to secure our nation.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Thank you to my incredible wife, Jennifer, who has changed my life and been with me throughout this entire process.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Including our seven wonderful kids, Gunner, Jackson.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Morality, meritocracy, war fighting, accountability and readiness.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
The Department of Defense under Donald Trump will achieve peace through strength.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Unlike the current administration, politics should play no part in military matters. We are not Republicans. We are not Democrats. We are American warriors. Our standards will be high and they will be equal, not equitable. That's a very different word.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
Well, interestingly enough... Now, it is true and has been acknowledged that I don't have a similar biography to defense secretaries of the last 30 years.
The Daily
Drunkenness, Women and Wokeness: A Dramatic Confirmation Hearing for Pete Hegseth
But as President Trump also told me, we've repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly the right credentials. whether they are retired generals, academics, or defense contractor executives. And where has it gotten us? He believes, and I humbly agree, that it's time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm. A change agent.
The Daily
Pete Hegseth Was Toast. The MAGA Swarm Came to His Rescue.
And I also want an opportunity here to clarify comments that have been misconstrued that I somehow don't support women in the military.
The Daily
Pete Hegseth Was Toast. The MAGA Swarm Came to His Rescue.
What you're seeing right now with me. is the art of the smear. It is the classic art of the smear.
The Daily
Pete Hegseth Was Toast. The MAGA Swarm Came to His Rescue.
Take whatever tiny kernels of truth, and there are tiny, tiny ones in there, and blow them up. into a masquerade of a narrative about somebody that I am definitely not.
The Dan Bongino Show
The Hapless, Goon Democrats Face-Plant At Hegseth’s Hearing (Ep. 2401)
I might get it once. It's good. It feels like bread.
The Dan Bongino Show
The Hapless, Goon Democrats Face-Plant At Hegseth’s Hearing (Ep. 2401)
Smells like bread.
The Dan Bongino Show
The Hapless, Goon Democrats Face-Plant At Hegseth’s Hearing (Ep. 2401)
Yes, we have. We have. We should continue. You know what? It's up in the air. You and I decided we need to start eating healthier. You said no, you have no interest. I should eat more vegetables, and I don't.
The Dan Bongino Show
The Hapless, Goon Democrats Face-Plant At Hegseth’s Hearing (Ep. 2401)
Senator, as the president has stated, I don't disagree with the overturn of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
The Dan Bongino Show
The Hapless, Goon Democrats Face-Plant At Hegseth’s Hearing (Ep. 2401)
Senator, in both of the organizations I ran, we were always completely fiscally responsible for the money that we had. Yes or no, did you lead an audit? And the way my leadership has been stated has been completely mischaracterized. What are you afraid of?
The Dan Bongino Show
The Hapless, Goon Democrats Face-Plant At Hegseth’s Hearing (Ep. 2401)
Senator, every part of my leadership of these organizations has been misrepresented from top to bottom.
The Dan Bongino Show
The Hapless, Goon Democrats Face-Plant At Hegseth’s Hearing (Ep. 2401)
Senator, those are multiple false anonymous reports peddled by NBC News that run directly contradictory to the dozens of men and women at Fox News Channel who I work with who came on the record and said they've never seen that.
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1515 - Nagging Democrats Shriek At Pete Hegseth During Confirmation Hearing
My critiques, Senator, recently and in the past, and from personal experience, have been instances where I've seen standards lowered, and you mentioned 11 Alpha, 11 Bravo, MOS, places in units, and it...
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1515 - Nagging Democrats Shriek At Pete Hegseth During Confirmation Hearing
The book that has been referenced multiple times here, The War on Warriors, I spent months talking to active duty service members, men and women, low ranks, high ranks, combat arms and not combat arms, and what each and every one of them told me, and which personal instances have shown me, is that in ways direct, indirect, overt, and subtle, standards have been changed inside infantry training units,
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1515 - Nagging Democrats Shriek At Pete Hegseth During Confirmation Hearing
ranger school, infantry battalions, to ensure that commanders meet... Give me one example.
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1515 - Nagging Democrats Shriek At Pete Hegseth During Confirmation Hearing
Commanders meet quotas to have a certain number of female infantry officers or infantry enlisted, and that disparages those women who are incredibly capable of meeting that standard.
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1515 - Nagging Democrats Shriek At Pete Hegseth During Confirmation Hearing
Oh, my goodness, Senator. Absolutely. At Concerned Veterans for America, we created the Fixing Veterans Healthcare Task Force, a bipartisan task force that had never been done before to create policy, to drive policy change on Capitol Hill that organizations fought ferociously against. We got the VA Accountability Act passed and the Mission Act passed in a way that a nonprofit—
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1515 - Nagging Democrats Shriek At Pete Hegseth During Confirmation Hearing
of our size, veterans organization, has never done. Thank you. And that's testified in all the letters that we put forward to the committee, which are on the record.
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1515 - Nagging Democrats Shriek At Pete Hegseth During Confirmation Hearing
Well, perhaps some of my colleagues don't understand. It would be a JAG officer who puts his or her own priorities in front of the warfighters. Their promotions, their medals, in front of having the backs of those who are making the tough calls on the front lines.
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1515 - Nagging Democrats Shriek At Pete Hegseth During Confirmation Hearing
Thank you very much.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Senator, one of the things that President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand. And so I would never in this public forum give one way or another direct what orders the president would give me in any context.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Senator, I've always been personally pro-life. I know President Trump has as well, and we will review all policies. I'm not hearing answers to my questions, Mr. Chairman.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Senator, in both of the organizations I ran, we were always completely fiscally responsible.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Did you lead an audit?
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Did you lead an audit?
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Senator, every part of my leadership of these organizations has been misrepresented from top to bottom.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
I have not been involved in international security arrangements because I have not been in government other than serving in the military. So my job has been to lead men and women in combat.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
You're talking about defense arrangements. I mean, NATO might be one that you're referring to. Status of Forces Agreement would be one of them. Status of Forces Agreement. I've been a part of teaching about Status of Forces Agreement inside Afghanistan.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
I couldn't tell you the exact amount of nations in that. But I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and in AUKUS with Australia trying to work on submarines with them.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
That President Trump is going to be giving illegal orders?
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Senator, anybody of any party could give an order that is against the Constitution or against the law.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
I start by saying I reject the premise that President Trump will be giving any illegal orders at all.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Senator, I was there on the ground. I saw that. I understand and I respect that. I've been there. I understand the level of threat that was involved in that moment. I also understand legality and the Constitution and the laws of what you have.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
I'm not going to put words in the mouth of Secretary Esper or anybody else.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
I'm not scared of anything, Senator. Then say yes or no. You can say no.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Senator, I'm glad we finally got to the topic of border security equaling national security because it's been abdicated and ignored for the last four years.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Senator, I am not yet the Secretary of Defense. If confirmed, I would be party to any number of conversations.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Which I would not reveal what I have discussed with the President of the United States.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Senator, everything we will do would be lawful and under the Constitution. But I recognize...
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Senator, those are multiple false anonymous reports peddled by NBC News that run directly contradictory to the dozens of men and women at Fox News Channel who I work with who came on the record.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
I've made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I'm serving.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
I've made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I'm serving. servant because it's the most important deployment of my life.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
Senator, I was in the Washington, D.C. National Guard unit that was in Lafayette Square during those events.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Three Most Annoying Senators at Hegseth Hearing, and Pam Bondi Crushes Dems Today, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 983
I saw 50 Secret Service agents get injured by rioters trying to jump over the fence, set the church on fire, and destroy a statue.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
Senator, I was falsely accused in October of 2017. It was fully investigated and I was completely cleared.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
I've made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I'm serving.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
I've made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I'm serving because it's the most important deployment of my life.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
50 secret service agents get injured by rioters trying to jump over the fence, set the church on fire, and destroy a statue.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
Senator, one of the things that President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand. And so I would never in this public forum give one way or another direct what orders the president would give me in any context.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
And I would point out, I've never disparaged women serving in the military. I respect every single female service member that has put on the uniform past and present. My critiques, Senator, recently and in the past, and from personal experience, have been instances where I've seen standards lowered.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
Senator, the United States Army, 450,000 on active duty, sir.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
I don't believe that you can...
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
Senator, as someone who's led men in combat directly and had to make very difficult decisions, I've thought very deeply about the balance between legality and lethality. Sir, I'm talking about restrictive rules of engagement that these men and women behind me understand they've lived with on the battlefield, which has made it more difficult to defeat our enemies.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
In many of the cases you're talking about in particular, sir, there was evidence withheld There was prosecutorial misconduct. And as someone who looks case by case and defaults to the warfighter, to the men and women with dust on their boots, not the second guessers in air conditioned offices in Washington, D.C.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
I look case by case and was proud to work with President Trump to understand those cases and ensure that our warriors are always looked out for.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
I did five sets of 47 this morning.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
In the Pacific, Guam is pretty strategically significant.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
The wokeness comes not from the uniform ranked, Senator, but from the political class. On day one, on January 20th, when President Trump is sworn in, he will issue a new set of lawful orders. And the leadership of our services will have an opportunity to follow those lawful orders or not. Those lawful orders will not be based on politics.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
They will be based on readiness, accountability, standards, and lethality. That is the process by which leaders will be judged. And accountability is coming. Because everybody in this room knows, if you're a rifleman and you lose your rifle... They're throwing the book at you. But if you're a general who loses a war, you get a promotion. That's not going to happen in Donald Trump's Pentagon.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
There will be real standards for success.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
Anonymous smears.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
Senator, her child's name is Gwendolyn Hope Hegseth. And she's a child of God, and she's seven years old.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
Those were false charges. It was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared. And I am so grateful for the marriage I have to this amazing woman behind me.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
If it's a false claim then and a false claim now.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
Senator, as I've acknowledged to everyone in this committee, not a perfect person, not claiming to be.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Megyn Kelly's Instant Analysis of Pete Hegseth Hearing and Dem Absurdity, with Michael Knowles, Dakota Meyer, and Rob O'Neill | Ep. 982
I have failed in things in my life and thankfully I'm redeemed by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated.