Pete Hegseth’s Complaint About Dead Troops Even Shocked His Aides

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remark Wednesday about U.S. troops dying in the Middle East was so callous it reportedly stunned everyone—including Pentagon officials.

During a press briefing, Hegseth claimed that the press was only reporting on the deaths of American soldiers in order to “make the president look bad.”

“But when a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front-page news,” he said. “I get it, the press only wants to make the president look bad—but try for once to report the reality.”

The Atlantic’s Nancy Youssef, who was present for the briefing, told her colleague that Hegseth’s comment “sent a stunned silence through the briefing room.”

She claimed that some members of Hegseth’s staff appeared to flinch at what he was saying, while others ducked their heads.

Youssef said that one person quietly but audibly remarked: “That was one of the most insulting things I have ever heard.”

Hegseth’s heartless remarks come as lawmakers warn that more U.S. soldiers are likely to die in Trump’s escalating military campaign in Iran. So far, six service members have died after a drone struck their makeshift operations center in Kuwait on Sunday.

Hegseth has repeatedly proven that he is a weak and frivolous advocate for Donald Trump’s illegal war in Iran, which has already spiraled out into a regional conflict. The secretary has failed to provide answers for entering a conflict without congressional approval and refused to clearly state U.S. objectives or even gesture at a timeline. Clearly, he’s more interested in using dead soldiers as a lever to whine about the media, and openly bragging about not following the rules of engagement.