Source Tells CNN That ‘Trigger Happy’ Hegseth Thinks ‘Blowing Sh*t Up’ Is the Best Way to Keep His Job

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

CNN reported on Tuesday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth believes that the best way to keep his job is by “blowing sh*t” up, according to a person familiar with his mindset.

The piece casts Hegseth as a leading advocate of the ongoing Iran war, which has entered its second month. President Donald Trump said as much last week at an event that Hegseth also attended.

“And Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up. And you said, ‘Let’s do it, because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,'” the president said at the time.

“Once the president made the decision, [Hegseth] was the No. 1 supporter of it, as he should be,” a senior White House official told CNN. “He’s still responsible for making sure it’s a success.”

Another source told CNN that Hegseth is “trigger happy,” while the senior White House official disputed that the secretary should be concerned about his job security:

“He’s very trigger happy,” one source familiar with Hegseth’s current mindset told CNN, adding that he believes “blowing sh*t up” is the best way for him to keep his job.

The senior White House official pushed back on the notion that Hegseth would be concerned about his job.
“The president is very pleased with him, and was before the Iran situation,” the source said.

Trump himself has suggested that Hegseth has been keen on continuing the Iran war.

“You know, the only two people that were quite disappointed, I don’t want to say this, but I have to,” Trump said during an event in the Oval Office on March 24. “I said, ‘Pete and Gen. Razin’ Caine, I think this thing’s going to be settled very soon.’ They go, ‘Oh, that’s too bad, right?’ Pete didn’t want it to be settled.”

The report states that Hegseth has held more press briefings since the beginning of the war on Feb. 28 than he had previously during his tenure.

“When Trump decided to launch combat operations, the White House wanted the Pentagon to serve as the administration’s primary communicator — a decision based, in part, on Hegseth’s credentials as a former Fox News anchor and his typically bombastic demeanor while defending the president’s actions,” CNN said.

Hegseth has also spearheaded the administration’s attacks on “narco-terrorists” on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The Department of Defense has carried out at least 47 strikes, which have killed at least 163 people. The administration has provided no evidence that the vessels were carrying drugs. Even if they were, experts say the strikes are legally dubious.

Hegseth refers to himself as the “Secretary of War,” who heads the “Department of War.” However, the department’s name is statutorily set by Congress, which has declined to amend the law.

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