Even MAGA's most committed devotees can't back this buffoon

You would probably be hard-pressed to find even a committed MAGA supporter coming to Peter Hegseth's defense at this point, which constitutes a major problem for the self-anointed "Secretary of War" — and rightly so, because he's becoming an actual problem for President Donald Trump.

And that never works out well, not for the official dumped nor the country.

All reports are that Hegseth needs help to remain in his job, and he sure didn't help himself in front of the Senate on Thursday. We've seen a poor testimonial performance result in an unceremonious ouster already in Kristi Noem's departure. This is a lot like that.

As reported on this website, Hegseth got more than a bit defensive under rather regular questioning from Senator Warran about him possibly profiting by being long on war right before, well, a war. The Secretary of War lashed out:

I'm not looking for money. I don't do it for money. I don't do it for profit. I don't do it for stocks. And that's part of the reason why I'm able to be effective in this job, because no one owns me.”

Right.

But why so angry then? People without an issue simply lean into the microphone and calmly say, "No, Senator Warren. I have not traded on defense stocks and will not," then await the next question.

But perhaps Hegseth has an issue. He most certainly has other issues, having already been rattled when he castigated critics as Pharisees, only to be confronted by Secretary Rosen:

ROSEN: 'Pharisees' is a problematic and historically weaponized term that casts Jewish communities as morally corrupt. You said it today. Words matter. How do you justify using this language?

HEGSETH: It's a pretty accurate term for folks who don't see the plank in their own eye. I stand by it.

Except, Mr. Secretary of War, you could easily have your wires crossed a bit here.

Hegseth, the guy with the crusading cross inked into his chest, is likely adding his voice to the increasingly anti-Semitic tone one finds on the Right these days, which would otherwise be normal for conservatives, were it not for the fact that perhaps the entire reason Trump ordered American troops into war in the first place owes itself to his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and American AIPAC's influence on Trump.

Whether Hegseth knows of the conflict of interests is actually neither here nor there; he will soon.

Rounding out the trifecta of Democratic women demanding answers was Sen. Gillibrand, rightly concerned about the bombing of a girls' school in Iran:

[Gillibrand] asked about the dramatic cuts in the Pentagon unit that seeks to prevent civilian deaths.

“Why did you cut by 90% the division that’s supposed to help you not target civilians?” Gillibrand asked sharply.

Hegseth responded that the Pentagon has an “ironclad commitment” to prevent civilian deaths.

Commit all you want, the fact that so many civilian deaths continue to happen, and Hegseth has a poor record of prioritizing such concerns, again makes Hegseth defensive and unable to really answer a question, perhaps because he's failing.

The Secretary has lost support even among GOP Congressional members, which means it is only a matter of time before the White House loses its support. Making matters worse for Hegseth personally, which doesn't equate to making things "better" for anyone else, is the fact that Hegseth may well have largely succeeded in his real mission already, making him less important to keep around.

No, not the mission to defeat Iran, but the mission to clear the Pentagon of commanding officers who are not white men, and waging proper "warfighting" against anything touching on DEI. That mission is largely done, making room for someone actually interested and qualified to come in and win the shooting war.

Much as we all enjoy seeing Hegseth feeling the heat, we know better than to believe an ouster improves anything. Again, Noem sets the standard, because DHS played out like the fish into the fryer, and she's hardly the only one. Except for this, there is hope.

Donald Trump finds himself in the middle of a war he declared, of which he's lost control, and that's causing him all kinds of problems. But running the Defense Department isn't ICE; good leadership doesn't equate to more and better MAGA. Perhaps in this job alone, it might just mean "someone better" at running and getting out of wars. Such a reality does provide a spark of hope, a tiny one.

But certainly enjoy seeing Hegseth fight for his particularly awful life. He has more than earned it.

Yes, of course, Trump finds it particularly hard to fire white men. This particular white man is making that battle infinitely easier. Perhaps Hegseth actually can win a battle for the American people.

This whole situation feels familiar, and Hegseth surely knows it.

Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist at Large and is a former associate editor at Occupy Democrats, an author, attorney, and single parent girldad. He can be reached at [email protected], and followed on Bluesky.