With his jawline firm and his hair coiffed, Pete Hegseth was a good fit as a Fox News personality. As the defense secretary – or secretary of war, as his boss, Donald Trump would have it – he’s disastrous. Trump, who watches Fox as if it’s his primary job, liked what he saw in Hegseth. Trump’s recent unhinged threat to eradicate “a whole civilization” was a terrific negotiating tactic, Hegseth tried to tell reporters this week. Despite – or maybe because of – his own background as a media figure at Fox, Hegseth has proved a fierce enemy of the legitimate press.

Source: The Guardian April 10, 2026 14:30 UTC