You’re Fired! (Or at least, you should be.)
Written by: Jennifer Bash
Let’s be blunt: Pete Hegseth should’ve been fired months ago.
I said it back in April, when it was revealed that—after already leaking classified strike plans in a group Signal chat—he created a second Signal chat that included relatives and former staffers and again shared sensitive military information.
That was strike two.
And for a Secretary of Defense? That should’ve been game over.
But here we are in July, and Hegseth is still sitting behind the big desk—despite now racking up four major national security failures in less than five months.
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Let’s Review the Wreckage:
1. Signalgate (March 2025)
Hegseth leaked classified Yemen strike details in a Signal chat. Drone paths, strike timing, missile types—sent to a group that included a journalist. The kind of thing that gets soldiers killed and allies furious.
2. Password Exposure
Shortly after, his personal Signal and email passwords showed up in public data dumps. Not exactly the cyber hygiene you want from the guy overseeing the U.S. military.
3. Second Signal Chat (April 2025)
This was the moment I said: enough.
Instead of learning from Signalgate, Hegseth created a second Signal chat—this one with relatives and former employees—and again shared sensitive communications. That’s not a mistake. That’s a character flaw.
4. Ukraine Arms Freeze (July 2025)
Now we learn Hegseth has unilaterally paused weapons shipments to Ukraine—three times. The most recent delay? No briefing. No Presidential authorization. He blamed a stockpile issue. The Pentagon says that’s false. Trump had to publicly reverse it.
So let’s call it what it is: this isn’t bold leadership. It’s repeated insubordination.
What the Job Requires (vs. What We’re Getting)
The Secretary of Defense, by federal statute and Department of Defense protocol, is expected to:
Carry out military policy under the President’s direction
Maintain strict security over classified information
Respect the civilian chain of command
Coordinate with allies and intelligence leaders
Uphold readiness and confidence within the military
Hegseth’s record?
You can’t run the Pentagon on impulse and group chats.
Even Trump Said It
“Always we’re going to let go of people—people that we don’t like or people that we don’t think can do the job or people that may have loyalties to somebody else… You’ll always have that.”
— Donald Trump, April 2025
Exactly.
This isn’t a loyalty issue. It’s a competency issue. And whether Trump wants to admit it or not, Hegseth is a problem.
Why This Matters—Right Now
No, 2025 isn’t an election year. But it’s a defining year—for leadership, credibility, and direction. Allies are watching. So are our adversaries.
The longer this goes unchecked, the more it signals that rules don’t apply at the highest level of national defense. And the only person who can fix that right now… is Trump.
Final Thought
I don’t say this lightly: the job of Secretary of Defense is too important to get wrong. And right now, it’s being handled by someone who keeps proving he’s not built for it.
Mr. President, the phrase made you famous. Now it’s time to make it mean something again.
Pete Hegseth, You’re fired!!
Bold column and correct recommendation. I’ve seen this behavior in inexperienced leaders. They want to prove their value early, take stupid risks, and try to stand out when working together is required. Trump would be well served by someone committed to Trump’s agenda.
You fail completely to realize that we're done with people from Govt. You sound like someone from Govt. Pete has learned and is the aggressive masculine military man we need. Not bureaucratic minion minds. Ukraine isn't a place we want our tax dollars. Period. Stop acquiescing to the old ways. LGBT woke insanity is out. Old school chickenshit military members who would rather spend tax $ on absurd things, prosecute and jail infrantry for not being chickenshit like them, are out. Time to kick all preconceived old school out. People enter the military to become something other than act like men, should be publicly embarrassed, tarred and feathered. We need a war fighter not a suit. Trump isn't exact exemplary with respect to Ukraine and his read there. Putin isn't wrong. He may not be going about getting what he wants but he's not wrong. NATO is as corrupt as Israel and citizens are wakeing up to these things and more. So to end, compare to what Biden admin did, Pete will be just fine.