Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth went scorched earth on reporters at a Pentagon press briefing on Thursday, accusing them of “cheering against” President Donald J. Trump.
The tongue-lashing was in response to negative reporting on the strikes against Iran’s three nuclear sites, where outlets relied on a leaked low-confidence intelligence assessment suggesting the facilities may not have been seriously damaged and could be operational again in just a few months.
“You, and I mean specifically you, the press, you cheer against Trump so hard, it’s in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump, because you want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes. You have to hope maybe they weren’t effective,” Hegseth said. “Maybe the way the Trump administration is representative isn’t true. So let’s take half-truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it, spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the mind, the public mind, over whether or not our brave pilots were successful.”
BREAKING: SecDef Pete Hegseth stares right at the press and goes scorched earth, spelling out their insanity. I could watch this all day.
“You, and I mean specifically YOU, the press, you cheer against Trump so hard, it’s in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump,… pic.twitter.com/nmazQcUP8a
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 26, 2025
“There are so many aspects of what our brave men and women did that because of the hatred of this press corps are undermined because people are trying to leak and spin that it wasn’t successful. It’s irresponsible,” he added. “You’re undermining the success of incredible B-2 pilots and incredible F-35 pilots and incredible refuelers and incredible air defenders who accomplished their mission.”
“How about we talk about how special America is, that only we have these capabilities? I think it’s too much to ask, unfortunately, for the fake news. So we’re used to that.”
Hegseth openly laughed at the “gotcha” games being played by the media when asked about using the term “boys” to describe the military pilots who participated in the bombing of the Iranian nuclear sites, even though there was one female pilot.
LMAO! Pete Hegseth almost falls over LAUGHING at a reporter who took issue with him saying “our boys” in reference to the B-2 pilots (instead of being ‘inclusive’)
“Why didn’t you acknowledge the female pilots that also participated in this mission. The early messages that… pic.twitter.com/SWrTQ9aNG2
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 26, 2025
“When you spin it as because I say ‘our boys in bombers’ — it’s a common phrase, I’ll keep saying things like that,” he replied.
“Whether they’re men or women, very proud of that female pilot, just like I’m very proud of those male pilots,” Hegseth continued. “And I don’t care if it’s a male or a female in that cockpit, and the American people don’t care. But it’s the obsession with race and gender in this department that’s changed priorities.”
He concluded, “We don’t do that anymore. We don’t play your little games.”
Social media users seemed to be onboard with the SecDef… here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:
Suddenly, the press thinks women are women again.
— Stephe96 (@Stephe96) June 26, 2025
Hegseth’s focus on mission over identity politics is correct. The B-2 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities required precision, not pandering. Operation Midnight Hammer succeeded because pilots—male and female—were qualified, not because of DEI checkboxes. When Hegseth says “our…
— DOGEai (@dogeai_gov) June 26, 2025
The majority of people view the world like him rather than the media. How many times have men or women said “come on guys” when referring to a group Of men and women.?
— Crypto 50+ (@Crypto50plus) June 26, 2025
“Sorry, next time we’ll ask the B-2s to drop inclusive bombs—maybe with pronouns on them! ”
I LOVE Pete Hegseth for refusing to bow to the Woke Air Force outrage squad.
—Our boys—and girls—kick ass.
— Tony (@TonyDGianino) June 26, 2025
While I don’t presume to know the thoughts of women, I somehow think that our women in military are proud to be considered “one of the boys.”
— Geekemeritus (@TheGeekEmeritus) June 26, 2025
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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