My recent Instagram Reel about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has over 345,000 views, 9,300 likes, 713 shares, and over 400 comments. I understand enough about social media to be dangerous, and I am by no means an “influencer.” This is not the first time I have posted critically about Hegseth, but I have noticed that previous posts fueled substantial engagement as well. What is it about Pete Hegseth that evokes such vitriol, more than anyone else in Trump’s cabinet, with the exception perhaps of Steven Miller?
Here are 3 reasons why people despise Pete Hegseth:
1. Hegseth is easily the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in modern history
Cynics might quickly assume that this assessment of Hegseth is nothing more than hyperbole from an avowed never-Trumper. Admittedly, making a comprehensive evidence-based case would require reviewing the backgrounds of all Secretaries of Defense since 1947, when the position was changed from the Secretary of War to Secretary of Defense. For the sake of brevity and my sanity, let’s examine the past three.
President Biden’s SECDEF was Lloyd Austin, a retired four-star general. Austin was the Commander of CENTCOM, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, and commanded troops in the Iraq War. His list of medals and honors at least equals, and possibly surpasses, the length of his impressive Curriculum Vitae.
Prior to Austin, in the first Trump Administration, was Mark Esper. Esper’s resume includes serving as Secretary of the Army, Chief of Staff at the Heritage Foundation, a senior congressional staffer, and a senior executive with several large organizations, including defense contractor Raytheon. Esper’s active duty service included combat in the Gulf War with the 101st Airborne and later served with the 82nd Airborne and Army National Guard. Why are Esper’s executive credentials relevant? The Department of Defense employs 2.8 million people, oversees more than 20,000 contractors with 400,000 employees, and contracts more than $455 billion in equipment and services.
Before Esper, also in the first Trump Administration, was Jim Mattis. Mattis is a retired 4-star general, NATO Supreme Allied Commander, and Commander of CENTCOM. He, too, has an impressive list of commendations and medals.
Hegseth, by comparison, woefully lacks the credentials of his predecessors. While Hegseth should be commended for his service, especially in combat, he was promoted to Major as he was leaving the military. Hegseth did graduate from Princeton, an elite school, so he was presumably intelligent. Hegseth led two different veteran-focused nonprofits where records show he ran deficits, spent organization funds on personal expenses, and is alleged to have created a “hostile work environment.” Supporters will say Hegseth was struggling with alcohol at that time and also had not committed his life to Christ (more on that shortly). For funsies, maybe we give Hegseth a pass on these mistakes, as well as the alleged sexual assault of a woman with whom he settled for $50,000, and the multiple documented affairs.
What did President Trump say about Hegseth’s qualifications when he announced to his team plans to nominate him for SECDEF? From Regime Change by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump reportedly said:
“Nobody has ever looked better on camera than this guy. He’s been so good to me. You know what her did? They had these three military guys, just killing people. Going around killing people left and right. There’s no telling how many they killed. And they’re tough guys. And they got prosecuted. And Pete defended them. We’ve got to have somebody who’s willing to defend our tough guys.”
Those “credentials” have resulted in an aimless war that no one asked for, embarrassing controversies, and the stifling of any accountability.
2. Hegseth’s toxic masculinity
The hyper-focus on his looks, the emphasis on his physical fitness and that of everyone around him, and belligerence toward others, especially women, have the “red flags” flying. What does that look like in practice and policy as the SECDEF?
Most recently, it is the dictate that every male in the military over the age of 30 will be tested for testosterone levels and required to undergo treatment if the levels are low. However, flu vaccines were optional until an outbreak led Hegseth to reverse the policy.
More broadly, it’s Hegseth’s public assertions that the war with Iran is “not a fair fight,” that it would be “foolish to mess with the U.S. military,” and “We are not defenders anymore. We are warriors, trained to kill the enemy and break their will,” that take on a schoolyard bully ethos, but with more serious consequences.
Hegseth convened the military’s top brass at an unprecedented gathering to lecture the Generals on their physical fitness, facial hair, and to declare that there would only be “male standards” for physical requirements of various opportunities within the military. He proceeded to rail on the military’s efforts at diversifying its personnel and demonstrated his resolve by halting the promotions of women and people of color who had met the requirements to be elevated.
3. Hegseth imposes his religious beliefs on others
The average American has some religious beliefs or principles that influence how they live their lives. The vast majority do not impose their beliefs on others or judge too harshly those whose views are different. Americans tend to believe in the idea that the government and religious doctrine should be separate.
Hegseth, though certainly not the first, has inserted his Christian beliefs into the military. He and his acolytes have framed the war in Iran in religious terms, for example. While other politicians and national leaders intertwine faith, politics, and government with somewhat less concern, it is Hegseth’s religious beliefs that fuel the resentment toward him.
Hegseth is a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), which is to the theological right of mainstream evangelicalism. A frequent spokesperson for the CREC is Pastor Doug Wilson. Wilson and CREC believe in Christian Nationalism and that the country should operate as a Christian theocracy. They believe it was wrong to give women the right to vote and would repeal it. Wilson believes homosexuality should be a crime. Hegseth invited Wilson to lead a Pentagon prayer service.
The history of alleged sexual assault, infidelity, mismanagement, and misconduct should have combined to prevent Pete Hegseth’s nomination, much less his confirmation. Of course, by this point in our Trump saga, we know voters will overlook those issues, since they are the very same ones that should have disqualified our President. But many in the public are disgusted by the incompetence borne from inexperience, the hyper-aggressive machismo and misogyny, and the imposition of far-out-of-the-mainstream religiosity that characterize Hegseth’s tenure. Ultimately, these issues may lead to his undoing.