Trump says Hegseth ‘first one to speak up’ in support of Iran war

President Trump indicated on Monday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the first top administration official to back the U.S. military attacks against Iran. 

“Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up and you said let’s do it because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” the president said at a Memphis Safe Task Force roundtable in Tennessee. 

Hegseth was sitting beside Trump at the roundtable in Memphis. 

Trump has heaped praise on the defense secretary, who has been a key proponent of the military action inside Iran, which kicked off in late February and has now entered its fourth week. 

Hegseth has conducted press briefings with reporters at the Pentagon and has shared U.S. military objectives such as wiping out Iran’s ballistic missile program, drone production and the country’s navy. He has also repeatedly attacked the media for covering criticism of the war.

On Thursday, Hegseth declined to offer when the U.S. would look to wind down its military operations against Iran, telling reporters that “we wouldn’t want to set a definitive timeframe” and added that “we’re very much on track” with Trump making the final call on how it ends.

Trump has admitted that Vice President Vance, a longtime critic of foreign intervention, was less enthusiastic about the war than he was. However, Vance has avoided public criticism.

Bloomberg reported over the weekend that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch were leading voices leading Trump into the fight, while Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and chief of staff Susie Wiles were more skeptical.

Joe Kent, the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center, became the first major Trump official to resign over the war last week.

Trump also said on Monday that Hegseth signed a directive to ensure that all members of the National Guard serving on the Memphis task force, along with those serving in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and the administration’s “border security missions” will get the same benefits as active-duty U.S. troops. 

“That’s not bad,” Trump said as Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, sitting to the left of the president, and the crowd applauded.

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