The REAL problem with Pete Hegseth
Actually, there are too many to choose from
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In general, I’m not going to use this newsletter to provide a blow-by-blow account of the confirmation chances of every questionable character who Donald Trump suggests is fit to occupy a high-ranking office in the federal government. But now that Sen. Joni Ernst has signalled that she’ll vote for Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, the horizon looks clear of roadblocks to him ultimately being confirmed. So let’s talk about Pete Hegseth.
The first thing that’s notable is how MAGAworld overcame opposition to his candidacy, which a few weeks ago seemed like it might doom his bid. His nomination greatly benefited by having all of the key issues around it litigated way in advance of the hearing, allowing time for party polarization to set in and conservative media to really put the scare into his critics. By the time the hearing rolled around, Republicans were able to depict the controversies surrounding him as essentially old news. They still had to engage in a stunning display of hypocrisy and reality-denial to do it, but it was easier than if the charges had emerged during the confirmation hearing itself.
The result would be amusing if the stakes weren’t so high. Republicans basically came out of the confirmation hearing saying “well yes, he might be a rapist, an alcoholic, and completely unqualified to be Secretary of Defense, but we knew that anyway - so what’s the problem?”.
Before getting into all of the reasons why Hegseth should not be Secretary of Defense, it’s worth spending a few minutes trying to inhabit the mental universe of his supporters. Of course, many of his supporters are for him just because Trump is for him, and because they’d be punished by the base if they didn’t go along. But there is also a more convinced (I said convinced, not convincing) strain of pro-Hegseth sentiment which I’ve been exploring on social media in recent days.
It’s case for Hegseth goes something like this: Yes, he may not be a traditional appointee. True, he has been subjected to unsubstantiated smears and has previous addiction issues that he has now overcome (so they believe). But the Defense Department has become a giant, civilian-dominated bureaucracy which has got away from its core mission of warfighting. It often fails to serve uniformed service-members, such as the soldiers accused of war crimes who Hegseth has previously voiced support for. It needs some serious disruption in order to get back to its core mission of fighting and winning wars.
Of course, I’m sanewashing here - presenting the case in its best possible terms. But even on these terms, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
What I find notable is that Hegseth embodies almost every single one of the pathologies of MAGA. Complete disregard for expertise and belief ignorant outsiders can fix things? Check. Rampant misogyny and evidence of actually committing serious sexual offences? Check. Evidence of personal behavior and characteristics completely unsuited to the position? Oh yes. Represents a focus on attacking the values of other Americans rather than responsibly facing policy challenges? You betcha.
And in a way, this isn’t surprising. Hegseth looks like a laboratory-created distillation of MAGA because that’s what he is. He emerged to national prominence as a Fox News contributor in the Trump era, tailoring his message to the channel’s devoted MAGA fanbase - and, of course, to the “audience of one”, Trump himself.
Let’s have a look through Hegseth’s characteristics and qualities one by one. Start with the fact that he has never held a senior position in the Pentagon or indeed any other large organization, and appears to know extremely little about either management or national defense.
Secretary of Defense is one of the most important jobs in the government. Its holder not only has to manage a huge and crucial international bureaucracy, but they also play a role in some of the most sensitive aspects of U.S. foreign policy. When the U.S. military needs to de-escalate tensions with a foreign nuclear power, the chosen channel of communication is often a conversation between the two secretaries of defense. He oversees the U.S. combatant commands, which are essentially a network of imperial pro-consuls spread around the world, having enormous influence over the politics of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. He needs to have some idea what he’s talking about.
The fact that Hegseth combines ignorance with evidence of personal instability makes the issue of competence even more serious. Many people struggle with addiction issues and they deserve compassion and help. But those people probably shouldn’t be the Secretary of Defense, one of the hardest and most stressful jobs in the world. The first holder of the office, James Forrestal, found it so overwhelming that he ended up leaping to his death from the pscyh ward of Bethesda Hospital. It’s hard to imagine a job that has more risk of causing a relapse of mental health and substance abuse issues.
Hegseth’s reputation for difficulty in this area also enormously complicates his task at running the Pentagon. Everyone from White House staffers to Hegseth’s subordinates at the Pentagon to foreign officials are now going to be have to devote at least some of their bandwidth to wondering “is Pete Hegseth back on the hooch again?”. He starts with his credibility and hence his ability to do the job already in tatters.
Then there’s a misogyny and the allegations of sexual assault. These aren’t just random anonymous allegations - they’re documented and investigated, and Hegseth has not offered any plausible rebuttal to them. Trumpworld seems to take positive joy not only in minimizing the impact that sexual violence and misogyny have on women and girls, but actively holding up people who are guilty of them. It’s a national disgrace and anyone who can be part of an administration that does it ought to be ashamed of themselves. But it’s not that surprising given that Trump himself openly admits to having carried out sexual assault and has been found guilty in civil court of doing so.
When you place all of this on the debit side of the scale, it’s hard to imagine what possible credit to Pete Hegseth could be worth overlooking it all. And it turns out that what his supporters really see in him is the fact that he prioritizes what are often euphemistically called “cultural” battles but really amount to the waging of MAGA”s domestic political and ideological witch-hunts at the expense of actually focusing on the core business of the Pentagon.
Thus we find Hegseth at his confirmation hearing extolling his relationship with Jesus, talking about undoing “woke” policies at the Pentagon, and refusing to rule out ordering soldiers to shoot protesters in the legs if Trump ordered it. It’s difficult to wrap your head around, but his supporters seem genuinely convinced that the Pentagon paying for abortions and trying to be racially sensitive is a greater threat to the nation’s military than China, or a broken procurement process, or the competent execution of the transformation of the Marine Corps. That’s why they’re happy to have someone who knows nothing about these things but is really sure he doesn’t like “DEI”.
So what exactly is the REAL problem with Pete Hegseth? From among all of these options, I find it hard to say. But the sweet spot for my worries is probably the point where they all combine. As someone unsure and unqualified for the job, plus someone battling personal demons, Hegseth is always going to be on probation. So what happens one day when the person who he seems to credit with his personal redemption, and on whom his entire political identity depends, comes along and asks him to do something stupid and illegal? What if he asks him to shoot protesters, or make a military move that risks nuclear escalation? Hegseth will be hard pressed to say no - or to even know that he’s supposed to.
America deserves better than some rando who Trump saw on Fox News as Secretary of Defense. It deserves a leader. And that’s the real problem with Pete Hegseth.
If you enjoy America Explained, you’ll find it is complemented well by International Intrigue, a daily geopolitical briefing delivered in an accessible but authoritative tone. I read it every day to find stories that I might have missed from around the world - something that I find particularly important when tracking the fast-moving events in the U.S. is taking up so much of my time right now. Give it a try by clicking here.
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