Pete Hegseth attacks media for not being positive enough about US attacks on Iran
US defense head is eager to frame operation as a success – and slam journalists for not portraying it in a positive light
Pete Hegseth on Friday again claimed the US military campaign against Iran has been an unprecedented success, using a Pentagon press conference to accuse journalists of downplaying Washington’s supposed gains on the battlefield.
Speaking alongside the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, the US defense secretary claimed Iran had been left without a functioning air force, navy or missile defense network after 13 days of strikes, and said the combined US-Israeli air campaign had hit more than 15,000 targets since the war began.
“The United States is decimating the radical Iranian regime’s military in a way the world has never seen before,” Hegseth told reporters.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/13/pete-hegseth-iran-was-us-pressOpen linkView original on lemmy.world
Has Iran even said thank you?
Did they even wear a suite?
Or even just a single room?
Yes... But it was tan.
Let's hear it for America's Suitehearts!
Careful guys, Pete might be on here to downvote.
They need to send this dork back to the back-stage Mötley Crüe show he was birthed from.
"Kiff come hold up the flag, and wavy it a little for God's sake"
"That young man fills me with hope. Plus some other emotions which are weird and deeply confusing."
I thought it was Putin who sends wave after wave until the kill limit is reached.
Apparently, the US is preparing to send 5k marines to Iran.
I just do not believe draft dodgers should be allowed to send enlisted into warzones.
Ughh...
This fuckin guy just comes right out and says it...
wp:David Ellison#Personal life
(my bold)
Too big to fail is ALSO too big to care.
Also also too big to recover from a fall from a great height.
People don't like murder. Suck it up and deal with it, Pete.
He's not a psychopath,, he cares waaaay too much how people perceive him
Not every asshole has ASPD, and not everyone with ASPD is an asshole.
Agreed. Trump's entire cabinet seem to trend narcissistic though.
IDK it's kinda easy for me
Fucking piece of shit, limp dicked, drunk Nazi traitor upset we don't support his fucking war crimes for Jesus?
I liked it better when I didn't know the names of various American ministers
I live here and wish I could forget.
Reminds me of those German radio messages that always reported glorious victories, but every day the victory was a bit closer to Berlin.
Bit reminiscent of Baghdad Bob. But now it Baghdad Barbie and Hesgeth shovelling the shit.
"The first casualty of war is the truth" remains as valid as ever.
(my bold)
said the ignoramus.
That's a turn of phrase specific to Trumpistan
Given that they've only been in power since 1979 and only had a few comparable conflicts, that's probably true.
Okay, but it doesn't say much.
It'd be a bit like Caspar Weinberger (US Secretary of Defense back then) saying similar about Grenada in 1983.
oh, but the hawks are like... they have been at war with us since 1979. Conveniently ignoring 1953. But this action was considered "imminent". FFS
I hate how this administration has ruined certain phrases/sayings/colloquialisms for me. Like "has never seen before", "unprecendented", "like no one's ever seen", "quid pro quo", "rule of law", "thank you for your attention to this matter", etc.
"trump" (like a trump card) and "both sides" come to mind, for me.
I hated all of those before, but I hate them even more now.
yes, it is now a community joke, our new taglines.
No connection between military goals and political goals.
It's bad enough they have to do a fascism, worse that it's a stupid fascism. But do they have to fucking whine about it constantly too? God damn
Well, yes. The nature of fascism is exactly to whine about things exactly like this.
This behavior is a foundational element of the fascist cult of the leader, where the state head is presented as an infallible, almost superhuman figure whose every action is a historic triumph. Because the leader cannot fail, any reality that doesn't align with their self-proclaimed brilliance is framed as a failure of the media or the public to be sufficiently "grateful" or "loyal." Mussolini was a master of this, frequently attacking journalists as shirkers or cowards for not practicing militant journalism and failing to recognize the supposed civilizing success of his brutal campaigns. To a fascist, a lack of active, ecstatic praise from the press isn't just a difference of opinion; it is viewed as a form of national betrayal and a "stab in the back" by internal enemies.
By constantly complaining about not getting enough credit, these leaders deliberately cultivate a siege mentality among their followers. Hitler used this tactic to delegitimize any information source he didn't control, asserting that "intellectuals" and the media were too timid or corrupt to champion his military genius. This framing transforms the leader into a tireless, misunderstood martyr who is being let down by a cynical elite. It is a calculated propaganda move designed to turn a supporter’s pride into a protective, weaponized anger against the "ungrateful" press, ensuring that the only acceptable narrative is one of constant, uncritical victory.
Thank you for writing this.
This dude was literally a talking head on Fox News.
There's no way there isn't hours of footage of him being negative about literally everything Obama and Biden did.
This is exactly what I was thinking.
Unfair comparison, Zapp Brannigan is at least charming in his assholeness. Kegseth sets off my fight or fight instincts.
Oh my god.
I can’t unsee this now.
ZAPP is at least more competant than hesgeth when it really matters(defending earth from a major attack), pete is incompetent 100% of the time.
A success at ...what? No goal was ever provided. He caused a lot of damage, killed a lot of people. Iranian conservative religious government (as well as USA's) is still in power. Iranian nuclear capability (so far, none) hasn't changed.
And a lot of us are still demanding release of ALL unredacted Trump-Epstein Files.
Success at distracting from the Epstein files
also from the shutdown right now, which MSM isnt talking about due to iran war.
Only corp-owned media. I still see a lot of people talking about the Epstein files and how this war is meant to distract from them.
Fuck you, Pete. Fuck you, you piece of shit. Fuck you, you child-murderer.
You are the absolute, most bottom, horrible, disgusting, sub-human, terrible monster.
Hell is too good for you.
"US Defence head..."
But they changed it to the Department of War, so that should read "US War head..."
There should be a Department of dictatorship.
Then we would have a Dick head.
You show me a dictatorship and I'll show you a boat filled with penis-shaped potatoes.
Not officially
This country is run by 12 year olds. Examine how they act, how they talk, who they raped at Epstein Island, etc..
Admittedly, Marcio Rubio is a bit more mature than the rest of them. He will on occasion act like he is 12,5
12 and 5?
well, he will have to consider that he sold his soul and how that decided he had no more career after this fuckshow
I mean, technically, if you're going to call them 12 year olds, it would mean for some of them that some of the crimes they've done would not be statutory rape… just sayin'… maybe let's not go there.
But I'm just making a gallows-humour joke. Those fucking child rapists do act like 12 year olds. Or really, more like toddlers in the case of Trump (shits himself, is all "nuh uh" to everything, no object permanence, can barely speak coherently…) heh
edit: ugh. Is it statutory rape when two preteens are sexually active? I realized I don't actually know. I don't fucking care because two actual kids messing around, whatever, but in light of the stupid joke I was making as a coping technique dealing with this fucking fascism...... I don't care about the reality, those sick people need guillotines.
What a nakedly thin skinned and insecure little man.
'America has no culture'
Actually, its being thin skinned pathetic people.
Please don't compare us to him
And yes I see the irony
Im going off the winter olympics.
Skaters won silver and they bitched they deserved gold.
Mens hockey team upset the women snubbed Trump.
Just lots of whining.
how have boys being whining brats be a thing in the US?
For about the millionth time, America's culture is MULTICULTURALISM, okay?
Not anymore with ICE still free to do what it wants.
So your instinct is to let them win?
I don't know how you come up with that conclusion.
Because the only way ICE being free to do what they want could destroy multiculturalism in the U.S. is if we all just roll over and stop resisting. The fight is just beginning and you're speaking from a defeated position.
Nope, the reason ICE exists is BECAUSE many Americans are resisting against multiculturalism. They are proof that multiculturalism is no longer part of US culture. You guys can disprove that by actually abolishing ICE. Until then, you can't convince me that multiculturalism is still part of your culture while a big portion of your people voted against it.
What I love is now that they know it bothers him EVERY shot is him looking ridiculous.
🌍👨🚀🔫👨🚀
What a clown
This guy is worse than a fucking Family Guy parody of an over the top limp dick douchebag.
"How dare you peasants not praise me when we bombed a school then bombed it again to make sure! We fuck kids one way or another!"
That's what that shitiot sounds like.
Fuck off Kegsbreath, you worthless pedo-protector.
Holy fuck that press conference was the cribgiest thing I've ever seen.
This guy's brain is broken.
I tried to listen to it but the doublethink in his narrative is too distracting. What a monumental loser.
Yeah, I had to turn it off.
These guys are deranged.
the president is a lunatic, the DOW Secretary is a fucking moron.
I like this typo because they're all acting like fucking toddlers. heh
There's a vacuum between his ears, no brain.
This dumb motherfucker thinks he invented carpet bombing because everyone else figured out that it doesn't work for shit.
Billionaires are always about the truth! Buy up the media to spread billionaire news not what is actually happening.
“But Hegseth couldn’t help himself. He had to go further. “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network the better,” he added. In those 10 words, the Defence Secretary said the quiet part out loud.”
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/with-10-damning-words-pete-hegseth-says-the-quiet-part-out-loud-20260314-p5oafr.html
Fascism: when the rich ARE the government
How many of those targets were schools, hospitals, cultural heritage sites, bazaars, cafes, and/or residential districts?
They're just calling where the bomb landed a target
Yeah, how about we all be a little more positive about the great war he started. Enjoy it a little bit, goddamn!
Right? How ungrateful we are acting, my oh my. We really should be quite ashamed of ourselves shouldn’t we? F my A! Are you kidding me? If he gaslit any harder, his slimy hair combined with his permanent BAC would probably ignite a chemical fire.
Whiskeyleaks over here is completely and utterly disconnected from reality.
The only good thing about the overwhelming amount of absolute unprecedented shit going on is that there IS so much that I constantly forget these things and so I get to chuckle again when someone references one. Or shake my head sadly. But in this case, chuckle.
I was thinking about this on the drive home and needed to log in to actually share this bit of craziness.
One of the excuses that they're using for bombing these school kids is to say that their intel on the area was about ten years out-of-date. Which is funny, because ten years ago was Trump’s first term, and a massive data breach happened around that time that cost U.S. intelligence agencies a huge number of agents.
So, no matter how you slice it, this is on the Trump administration for messing up things he’s too stupid to understand. It takes time to build up assets who can provide information on any given area. It’s possible that there was a school there specifically because they knew the location was compromised.
And even if you want to handwave that data breach as not Trump’s fault, (ignoring the fact that he starting this war). He cut more intelligence jobs when he got into office last year. Who knows what USAID was doing, Who knows what paper projects he cut that had aid in the area or fronts for CIA opperations. His military didn't have current data on the region becuase everything he has done has fucked up opperations for his military.
Seriously. These fuckers are complicit. How did we have the intelligence of where the Iranian leadership was but not that the school and clinic next to it were located... like why and how? There is no excuse. Tulsi Gabbard.. our Intelligence Secretary needs to be fired now.
Pete Hegseth attacks media for telling the truth.
FIFY
This guy wants a "Warrior Ethos" in the armed forces.
Not a military, whose members serve the civil populace and hopefully eventually return to that populace, get help reintegrating and contributing their perspective and experience to the discourse about war. He wants the civilians to call for blood and the
soldierswarriors to eagerly shed it.Major Boozeth is a great example of the type of person that should not be allowed to represent the civil side of civil-military relationship.
hes the epitome of failing upwards, i heard when he was still in the forces, his own command deemed him a threat and moved him into a role that dint threaten mission/deployment situations, like pencil pushing desk jockey role.
Cocaine Kegsbreath
Cause we're strong enough, we're winnest enough and goshdarn it people should fear me!
Fucking pathetic Pete. You're just fucking pathetic.
I don't think anybody doubted the US could decimate Iran's military. But that is a military objective - not a political goal. War is "politics by other means" after all and we have not yet heard a single rational idea for what America's goal is.
Iran's military being decimated does nothing for me. What is the goal you sociopath?
Every time I accidentally pay attention to US politics in any way I end up with a headache, but...
...what?
Oh, it's simple. It's like the reason I can't run a marathon is that I'm a wheelchair user. If I just got out of the chair, I could run one. Duh. It's simple. Are you dumb?
:)
I'm from the US and I had the same reaction.
Yeah the American people don’t seem to respond well to their military being used in an unprovoked genocide.
The Iranian government is decentralized and its people are radicalized by the war crimes being committed against them.
The blood of children doesn’t easily wash off.
They will never surrender to us.
Mind of a child psychopath, the kind you would find on the Xbox Live Call of Duty servers shouting the N-word over everyone else while they were trying to just play. He thinks this is all really awesome and cool.
He should have add that all this is for protecting the children, that "always" works.
Let me get this straight. FIRST we rape them, THEN we bomb them, THEN we protect them?
Did I get that right?
Positive about killing kids? In what twisted world? USA is sick bro.
I'm by no means a religious person but if the Pope told me the antichrist exists in Trump and his buddies, I'd believe it
Those suit coats make him look like a used car salesman
hes a foxs friend weekend host, not even good one lol. Hes is "FOX's seat warmer on the weekends" unlike "tucker, INGHRAM, or even watters ont he weekdays which is primetime tv", basically fox's DEI hire.
If one is in support of old party politics around this administration, how is that any different? Seems like the right uniform to wear, all things considered.
We're at the "You'll die for a pedofile and like it" stage now I see.
A majority of us are too old for them to enjoy us dying
Please clap.
This is positive news. To me it means that all of those billionaire owners of all that big media still haven't been able to wrap their hands around the neck of truth.
Hey Pete, most sane people don't think war is good.
Lol. Hegseth me boy, first you lash out because you don't like how your face looks in the papers. Now you don't like how your war looks like in the papers. Tough luck.
the man cares a lot about his image for someone who is an absolute prick.
hell yeah Pete, Maybe you just suck.
I heard a rumor that somebody got disfigured in this war, but man, it's more horrible than I had imagined.
he said, masturbating furiously.
Can someone please make this creep take a cold shower before doing these briefings?
Holy shit, if you add that to the end of everything they say it starts to make sense!
The entire administration is made up of ridiculously insecure men flexing to themselves in the mirror.
It legitimately feels like he is trying to outdo all the others in the administration in mustache-twirling-villain dark side points.
He's like some kind of extra-privileged extra-vain prep school Biff Tannen caricature.
It's a real shame we have to put up with these jokes for a few years. Hopefully the world bounces back like it did after WW2.
You know what the left wing media isn't being positive enough about? Kittens. They're fucking great and hardly ever in the mainstream news. War? Yeah, I don't think that's a real positive topic guys. Compare it to kittens if you have any doubts about it. Putting a positive spin on war is probably worse than polishing a turd.
The Mythbusters did actually polish turds, yet I have never seen them say anything positive about war (shooting stuff and blowing shit up is awesome, undeniably, but only when it’s for peaceful science.) so I’m gonna’ go ahead and say myth confirmed.
Never forget this fucking loser is also a war criminal that must face justice.
Crazy to say this given how pro war the media has been.
Not when 90% of media is owned by right wing smegheads. They write lie after lie and it’s just gobbled up.
We can trust Pete as much as any other US official. :)
IRAN doesnt need a efficient AF, they are having success with missiles, drones, or propaganda, and war of attrition(targeting oil producing countries and mining the strait of hormuz).
Better? It talks about success stories!
US tanker successfully intercepts iranian gta munitions!
I can’t remember a face I have wanted to punch more
I said the same thing about Noem
Kinda funny that Jost who plays him I believe wrote a book called 'A very punchable face '
Couldn't dream of a better picture to illustrate this article
The picture is blocked by my pi-hole so I only see the alt text: "A grimacing man wearing a small suit gestures as he speaks into a microphone." LOL
The media is right to do so.
It should also be their right to do so.
These people are fucking nuts
Mafia children, only alive 'cause tradition.
He operates under the US constitution ? Press freedom?
I guess creep guy wishes US was more like a dictatorship…
He’s still facing possible war crime charges for multiple reasons.
🎶America🎶🎶America🎶
Hate it when uncle Pete drinks.
Aww did someone hurt Petey’s fee fees? Aww.
Go home
LaheyHegeseth you’re drunkIt is interesting how even Fox news is against Trump on it. It shows how the media controls policy I guess, when they suddenly cease their existing bias.
The fucking drunk reject is babbling again.
Rear Echelon Mother Fucker
why don't you like my dumb ideas?
Again the real headlines aren’t saying is: EPSTIEN FILES AND ACCOUNTABILITY of elected officials
What a good boy you've been making the world less safe for everyone. Would you like a pat on the head and a sippy cup of vodka? What exactly is positive that he wants the media to focus on? Rising costs, new and renewed hatred of the American empire? Dead people? What is positive except profits for corporate masses? Holy mother of all that is good, tell me what is positive?
Aww, does the fragile little snowflake need a safe space?
Yeah, this is a war they can't sell.
Pete Hegseth is a fucking pussy.
For anyone that thinks 9/11 was an inside job, why didn't they do another for Trump?
Bush IICheney at least knew to wait for a tragedy to stage an illegal war. Hegseth here can't fathom why he can't garner the same sort of support.I think 9/11 was incompetence, not an inside job. With that out of the way, I have heard theories that the FBI warning of Iranian drones attempting to bomb California might be an inside job attempt.
well, he is a well known rapist and prick and not very smart.
Now when someone tells me I should be more positive, I can just send them a Hegseth meme.
Trump and Hegseth make me think of Harbinger (from Mass Effect): https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/Harbinger_(Collector)/Battle_Quotes
Praise be the alt text
I think the media are taking the piss on Hegseth. Yesterday it was Zoolander, and today it's Billy Idol. I approve.
History is happening. But our feds don't agree about the greatest city in the world... They want some city in Texas where the game is on.