Topics /

Pete Hegseth

6 stories on Pete Hegseth. For each one: what the left says, what the right says, and what both agree on. RSS feed

• Republicans Turn on Hegseth After Midterm Rout Over Iran War

  Nov 7, 2026

  Left: Hegseth's mismanagement of the Iran war, including overly optimistic projections and withholding information from Congress, directly contributed to voter backlash and the GOP's midterm losses.

  Right: Hegseth and his allies view the impeachment push as a politically motivated smear campaign led by a defeated lawmaker and Democrats seeking to score points rather than address genuine wrongdoing.

• Trump Won't Fire Hegseth Despite GOP Blaming Iran War for Midterm Losses

  Nov 5, 2026

  Left: Vice President Vance's public admission that 'the reason we lost is the war' validates concerns that the Iran conflict was politically and substantively costly, raising questions about why Trump is shielding Hegseth from accountability.

  Right: Trump's continued confidence in Hegseth reflects a belief that the defense secretary executed a necessary mission to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, regardless of short-term political costs.

• Retiring GOP Rep. Forces Vote to Impeach Trump's War Secretary

  Sep 15, 2026

  Left: The Iran war has dragged on far longer than the administration originally promised and has grown deeply unpopular, contributing to rising costs for Americans, yet the executive branch continues military operations despite Congress twice voting to end them.

  Right: Secretary Hegseth has strengthened the military, restored standards and merit, and delivered record recruitment and morale, making him a transformative and effective leader for the Department of War.

• Johnson Sends House Home Early, Dodging Hegseth Impeachment Vote

  Sep 17, 2026

  Left: Canceling the vote lets Republicans avoid going on record about Hegseth's handling of the Iran war just weeks before voters head to the polls.

  Right: Speaker Johnson dismisses the impeachment push as a 'publicity stunt' by Rep. Massie seeking attention, insisting Secretary Hegseth 'has done an extraordinary job.'

• Hegseth's Mandatory Testosterone Tests for Troops Spark Ridicule

  Jul 18, 2026

  Left: The policy reflects a broader right-wing cultural obsession with testosterone as a proxy for masculinity, treating it as a mythical marker of manly power rather than just one health metric among many.

  Right: Testosterone deficiency is a legitimate medical condition with real consequences for energy, mood, muscle mass, and bone density, and screening for it is a reasonable preventive health measure.

• Democrats and a Republican both target Hegseth's removal

  Oct 27, 2026

  Left: Hegseth's leadership is marked by incompetence that puts service members at direct risk rather than protecting them

  Right: A Republican member of Congress joining calls against Hegseth shows that concerns about his conduct, particularly regarding the Iran war decision-making, cross party lines rather than being purely partisan attacks