The Hegseth Problem

Whether Donald Trump chooses to care or not, he has a storm brewing within the walls of the Pentagon. The reaction by the Trump administration to Signalgate 2.0, where Pete Hegseth allegedly shared details of a pending military strike in Yemen with his wife, brother, and lawyer, has been more of the same political bluster and misdirection, blaming anybody other than the Pentagon's top official. Interestingly enough, neither Hegseth nor Trump denied the allegation in their attempts to shape the narrative.

While Hegseth walks a tightrope to yet again survive what would likely land anybody else in prison, Trump's continued support of his Defense Secretary should come as no surprise. He stood by Hegseth every step of the way through a difficult confirmation process when allegations of incompetence, alcoholism, and sexual misconduct dominated mainstream media. Hegseth also walked away unscathed after the first Signal scandal, with Trump pinning the blame on National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and disregarding the sensitive and potentially classified information sent by Hegseth on the commercial app. This time around, the White House quickly dismissed reports that Trump was looking to replace Hegseth.

Still, the question must be asked. Will there ever be a moment where enough is enough? It is difficult to know what exactly Donald Trump will wake up and decide to care about on a particular day, and it remains unclear how politically damaging Hegseth is to the administration. Removing Hegseth would also be a rather unpopular move among the Trump base. What we do know about Trump is that he has a crippling fear of perceived weakness and values loyalty above all else. The media circus around Hegseth and the constant calls by Democrats for his dismissal may be the very thing saving his job. How can Trump be seen capitulating to legacy media and Democrats by removing somebody who remains a popular and loyal figure in MAGA World? He can't, he would see it as weakness.

For the time being, Hegseth appears to be safe. Donald Trump has chosen to embrace the incompetence in exchange for the unshakable loyalty of his novice Defense Secretary, accepting the potentially catastrophic consequences American servicemembers could face as a result of Hegseth's irresponsible leadership. The political calculus could shift quickly, however. In the face of sinking approval numbers, an economy on the brink of a meltdown, and growing fears about Trump's ability to lead, Hegseth may soon find himself going one embarrassment too far for the Trump administration to handle.