LIGHTS, CAMERA, DISRUPTION!
The controversial Pentagon chief was interrupted four times in four minutes, with protestors describing him as a “coward” and a “war criminal.”
Pete Hegseth sought to brush off repeated disruptions by protestors during a warfare event in Washington by reminiscing about his time as a co-host on Fox & Friends.
The controversial Pentagon chief was interrupted four times in four minutes as he headlined the event on Wednesday, with protestors describing him as a “coward” and a “war criminal.”
The first disruption came about 16 seconds into Hegseth’s remarks, when a woman in the crowd stood and unfurled a banner emblazoned with the words “No War On Iran!”
This was soon followed by other protesters lashing out at Hegseth, his role in the conflict, and the plight of innocent children in Gaza and the U.S.
“You’re killing children in Gaza while children in America are starving!!” yelled one protester.
After the first interruption, Hegseth tried to make light of the situation, telling the audience, “She thinks highly of me,” as the screaming woman was escorted out. He then bizarrely reprised his days as a co-host of Fox and Friends, declaring: “The reality is, I feel quite comfortable here. These chairs and these lights—it feels like a television set.”
Hegseth spent a decade with Fox, which is how he gained the attention of Donald Trump, who appointed him Defense Secretary despite widespread concerns about his experience, alcohol use, and alleged abuse of women.
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In a nod to his on-screen days, he has reportedly retrofitted a former Pentagon briefing room as a makeup studio for his TV appearances and has no shortage of promotional videos of himself on social media, often doing exercises or military drills with service members.
But Wednesday’s disruption comes amid a backlash over Hegseth’s desire to livestream the December execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan by firing squad, a move that even Trump and JD Vance have doubts about.
The Trump administration also faces ongoing criticism over its foreign entanglements, with the war in Iran pushing up cost-of-living pressures and likely costing GOP votes at next month’s midterms.
Damning new figures released on Wednesday show the Consumer Price Index rose 3.7% in September, up from 3.4 percent in August. Rising inflation is largely due to the Iran war, which has pushed up prices for oil and fuels refined from crude oil, such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
The CPI report was the last ahead of the November 3 election. It comes as the president has been crisscrossing the country, insisting affordability is a Democratic “hoax” and insisting that the war is “a small price to pay” to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon.
Hegseth, meanwhile, touted America’s warfighting capabilities at his panel event on Wednesday at the U.S. Army’s 2026 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington.
Alongside him on stage was Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle, Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink, and Assistant Secretary of War for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Derrick Anderson.
“It’s an exciting time for the Army,” Hegseth began as the first protester started chanting.
After she was ejected, he continued to promote the administration’s so-called “arsenal of freedom” initiative, designed to revitalize the American defense industrial base, expand domestic manufacturing, and speed up military procurement.
But seconds later, another protester disrupted him, yelling, “You’re not a war hero, you’re a coward!”
