Hegseth Smirks as He Takes 2 Questions From TMZ DC at Pentagon Briefing, Including ‘Do You Feel You’re on a Power Trip?’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could only smirk as he was asked two oddball questions from TMZ DC on Friday in their first appearance at a Pentagon press briefing on the war in Iran.

Near the end of his latest news conference alongside Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hegseth fielded two queries from TMZ’s new Washington bureau, which has made waves in DC since launching earlier this month.

Hegseth called on TMZ DC’s co-managing editor Jacob Wasserman, who said he would ask a question and leave the second for his colleague, Charlie Cotton.

“We’ll see,” Hegseth slyly shot back.

“I’ve heard you talk a lot about bombing people and places,” Wasserman began. “And when you give these orders to carry out this extreme level of violence, what’s going through your mind and your body? Do you have, like, an adrenaline rush? Are you scared? Do you feel like you’re on a power trip?”

“It’s a very TMZ question,” Hegseth scoffed, before adding, “My only thought process is to ensure that our warfighters have everything they need to be successful, defeat and destroy the enemy, and they come home. I want them to feel empowered to have every authority they need within our rules and within our law to bring maximum violence to the enemy. Because war is violent, war requires doing difficult things. But I want our people to feel empowered so it’s our guys that come home and their guys that do not.”

Hegseth then offered to answer a question from Cotton, saying, “I’ll give you one chance.”

“You changed the Department of Defense to the Department of War,” Cotton said. “Would you consider changing the name again to the Department of Peace, since that’s what we’re all after?”

Hegseth smiled in approval.

“It’s a great question, actually,” the Pentagon chief and former Fox News host said. “You go from defense to war because you want to be proactive about peace through strength.”

Read the exchange below:

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH: Right here. New members of our press corps here.

JACOB WASSERMAN: Jacob Wasserman with TMZ DC. We have two questions. I’m gonna ask the first, my colleague will ask the second.

HEGSETH: We’ll see.

WASSERMAN: Sorry?

HEGSETH: We’ll see.

WASSERMAN: You know, I’ve heard you talk a lot about bombing people and places. And when you give these orders to carry out this extreme level of violence, what’s going through your mind and your body? Do you have, like, an adrenaline rush? Are you scared? Do you feel like you’re on a power trip? Just walk us through and paint us a picture of what it feels like mentally and physically.

HEGSETH: It’s a very TMZ question. My only thought process is to ensure that our warfighters have everything they need to be successful, defeat and destroy the enemy, and they come home. I want them to feel empowered to have every authority they need within our rules and within our law to bring maximum violence to the enemy. Because war is violent, war requires doing difficult things. But I want our people to feel empowered so it’s our guys that come home and their guys that do not. Sure, I’ll give you one chance.

CHARLIE COTTON: Charlie Cotton from TMZ DC. You changed the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Would you consider changing the name again to the Department of Peace, since that’s what we’re all after?

HEGSETH: Well, that’s the pursuit. It’s a great question, actually. You go from defense to war because you want to be proactive about peace through strength. And really, I gave a speech in front of generals about what the ethos of the War Department is all about, because I wanted to go through every echelon of this department. It means something. It’s not just words. And when you fight a war the right way, the idea is on the other side you bring about peace. That is what we would like to see the most. In fact, I once did a video about the the one institution that should win the Nobel Peace Prize every single year is the United States military, because we are the guarantor of the safety and security, not just of our country, but of a lot of people in this world.

Watch above via MS NOW.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!