Hegseth's telling answer to reporter said to mean he 'needs to go': 'He never denied that'

Department of Defense head Pete Hegseth must be removed from his post as soon as possible, according to a political analyst who shared a telling moment.

Hegseth has emerged as a vocal advocate for aggressive military action and weaponizing Christian theology to justify warfare. Hegseth has implemented controversial military policies, including grooming standard directives and bans on elite university graduate programs.

A press conference held by Hegseth yesterday (April 24) saw the Department of Defense head questioned over the ongoing war in Iran. TMZ reporter Jacob Wasserman asked, "I’ve heard you talk a lot about bombing people and places. And when you give these orders to carry out this extreme level of violence, what’s going through your mind and your body? Do you have, like, an adrenaline rush? Are you scared? Do you feel like you’re on a power trip?"

Hegseth replied, "My only thought process is to ensure that our warfighters have everything they need to be successful, defeat and destroy the enemy, and they come home.

"I want them to feel empowered, to have every authority they need within our rules and within our law to bring maximum violence to the enemy, because war is violent, war requires doing difficult things, but I want our people to feel empowered, so it’s our guys that come home and their guys that do not."

Heather Delaney Reese, writing in her Substack, claimed that Hegseth's response to this question is enough to warrant firing him from his post. President Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi recently, and Reese believes Hegseth should follow.

Reese wrote, "He never answered it. He never denied that this war is making him feel powerful or that it gives him pause when he thinks of the human toll for not just our military and their families but also the civilians caught in the gunfire.

"His lack of answer makes him exactly the wrong person for this job. His lack of care for other people, for the cost of war, and his constant grandiose positioning are dangerous qualities to be held by a man who has enabled the commander in chief to act out violently in other countries, on boats in international waters, and of course, on citizens back here at home.

"Trump has already fired three cabinet members and multiple people right below them in their departments. Pete Hegseth needs to go next."