I’ve Been With Trump Since 2016. Hegseth Should Resign.
When a defense secretary has to make a public case that he is not an embarrassment to the president, he has already lost the battle.
For nearly two years, Washington Post defense correspondent Tom Nichols has worked alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, often serving as a senior adviser and spokesperson. Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend co-host and Minnesota National Guard major, has treated the Pentagon as a platform for self-promotion. Nichols believes Hegseth should resign before Democrats use him to impede the president's agenda during his final two years in office.
He cites Hegseth's poor performance, including pushing out top military leaders and planning a livestreamed execution, as evidence of his unfitness for the role. Despite a public backlash, Hegseth awarded a medal to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier sentinel. Nichols argues that if an appointee's missteps are hurting the president, they should consider stepping aside, as Rumsfeld did in 2006.
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