{"id":2406348,"date":"2025-02-25T09:21:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T14:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/video-hegseth-gives-reporter-smackdown-that-even-trump-would-envy-after-question-on-firing-woke-general\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T09:23:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T14:23:27","slug":"video-hegseth-gives-reporter-smackdown-that-even-trump-would-envy-after-question-on-firing-woke-general","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/video-hegseth-gives-reporter-smackdown-that-even-trump-would-envy-after-question-on-firing-woke-general\/","title":{"rendered":"Video: Hegseth Gives Reporter Smackdown That Even Trump Would Envy After Question on Firing Woke General"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvideo-hegseth-gives-reporter-smackdown-that-even-trump-would-envy-after-question-on-firing-woke-general%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2406348&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>During a press meeting with Saudi Arabian leaders, U.S. Defense Secretary \u2063Pete Hegseth faced a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/be-less-white-uncovering-white-fragility-author-robin-diangelos-linkedin-course-on-confronting-racism\/\" title=\"\u2018Be Less White...: Uncovering White Fragility Author Robin DiAngelo...s LinkedIn Course On \u2018Confronting Racism...\">challenging question<\/a> from a reporter regarding President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision to appoint a &#8220;underqualified&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-retired-lt-general-honore-too-partisan-to-lead-capitol-security-probe\/\" title=\"GOP: Retired Lt. ...eral Honore too partisan to lead Capitol security probe\">retired lieutenant general<\/a> as the new chairman of\u2064 the \u200bJoint \u2062Chiefs \u2064of Staff,following the ousting \u2062of Gen. Charles Q. Brown. Hegseth&#8217;s\u2062 response was\u200b assertive,\u200b stating, &#8220;I\u2019m going to choose to reject your \u200cunqualified question,&#8221; showcasing his\u2062 disdain for what\u200b he deemed inappropriate media questioning. This exchange reflects a broader shift in \u2062the Trump administration&#8217;s approach to media interactions, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/clarence-thomas-saved-the-cfpb-for-liz-warren\/\" title=\"Clarence Thomas rescued the CFPB on behalf of Liz Warren\">emphasizing\u200d transparency<\/a> \u200cand a demand for fairness from\u2062 reporters. The narrative highlights the administration&#8217;s\u200c willingness to confront perceived biases and challenges in journalism, marking a significant change in how governmental figures respond \u2064to\u2062 media scrutiny.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had zero tolerance on Monday for one particular loaded question from a reporter.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth was meeting with Saudi Arabian leaders when he took a few questions from the media.<\/p>\n<p>Fresh on their minds was, of course, President Donald Trump firing Gen. Charles Q. Brown, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hegseth meanwhile fired Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force James Slife.<\/p>\n<p>Trump then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-fires-gen-charles-q-brown-as-chair-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff-nominates-lt-gen-dan-razin-caine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> that he would replace Brown with retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan &ldquo;Razin&rdquo; Caine.<\/p>\n<p>The legacy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/hegseth-slams-fox-reporter-fake-news-day-accusing-milking-140k-taxpayers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>, already miffed by the firing of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yale-law-journal-editor-apologizes-for-unwelcoming-culture\/\" title=\"Yale Law Journal Editor Apologizes For \u2018Unwelcoming Culture...\">previous leaders<\/a>, who had pushed diversity programs, bitterly latched onto Brown&rsquo;s ousting.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>One reporter asked Hegseth, &ldquo;Why did you select an underqualified, retired lieutenant general to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth&rsquo;s reply was rather straightforward.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to choose to reject your unqualified question,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Who&rsquo;s next?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Fake News loser: &ldquo;Why did you select an underqualified retired lieutenant general to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?&rdquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecDef?\">@SecDef<\/a>: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to choose to reject your unqualified question. Who&rsquo;s next?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&#128293; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wXGGuIoIFD\">pic.twitter.com\/wXGGuIoIFD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RapidResponse47\/status\/1894134198811721922?\">February 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  The message here is simple.<\/p>\n<p>The new Trump administration invites transparency, as evidenced by Trump participating in far more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-karoline-leavitt-drops-bombshell-statistic-joe-biden-will-hate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">press engagement<\/a> than his predecessor.<\/p>\n<p>But they expect the reporters who cover the federal government to be fair, not to be partisan activists with a chip on their shoulder masquerading as serious journalists.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has long been an expert at cutting straight through the ideologues in the media, confronting them over nasty questions and refusing to play their games.<\/p>\n<p>That virtue is now filtering into the Cabinet and the rest of the administration.<\/p>\n<p>There is, of course, Hegseth&rsquo;s curt and clear takedown of that particular reporter.<\/p>\n<p>But notice also that the official White House Rapid Response <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/woke-general-gets-owned-us-armys-official-x-account-publicly-humiliated-illegal-dei-memo-goes-viral\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">page<\/a> called the reporter a &ldquo;Fake News loser&rdquo; when sharing the footage of Hegseth.<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s an accurate title, and like their boss, the staffers behind that account were not afraid to use it.<\/p>\n<p>This is definitely a new era for the media in our country.<\/p>\n<p>They were allowed to peddle whichever false narratives they chose for years, if not decades, and they were not used to being confronted on their nonsense.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pete-hegseth-says-targeted-total-sham-audit-last-vestiges-biden-admin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hegseth<\/a> rightly called them &ldquo;unqualified.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>They&rsquo;d better get qualified, or else they&rsquo;re going to find themselves increasingly &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/unexpected-fox-news-newsmax-side-ap-trump-wh-ban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">uninvited<\/a>&rdquo; from places like the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth showed no patience on Monday for a specific loaded question from a reporter. While meeting with Saudi Arabian officials, he addressed media inquiries, particularly regarding President Donald Trump&#8217;s dismissal of Gen. Charles Q. Brown, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hegseth had also recently fired Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force James Slife, with Trump announcing that retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan &#8220;Razin&#8221; Caine would replace Brown. The mainstream media reacted negatively to these firings, especially targeting Brown&#8217;s removal due to his support for diversity initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>When a reporter asked Hegseth why he chose an &#8220;underqualified&#8221; retired lieutenant general as the new chairman, Hegseth responded directly: \u201cI\u2019m going to choose to reject your unqualified question.\u201d He then moved on to the next inquiry.<\/p>\n<p>This exchange highlights a shift in how the Trump administration engages with the press\u2014favoring transparency while expecting fairness from reporters rather than partisan bias disguised as journalism. Trump has consistently confronted media ideologues and this approach is now evident within his Cabinet.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth&#8217;s blunt response was complemented by an official White House Rapid Response post labeling the reporter as a \u201cFake News loser,\u201d reflecting a new era in media relations where journalists are held accountable for their narratives. If they do not improve their qualifications, they may find themselves increasingly excluded from important venues like the Pentagon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2406349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Pete-Hegseth-5.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[45173,5046,21796,3634,5558],"class_list":["post-2406348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-hegseth","tag-reporter","tag-smackdown","tag-trump","tag-woke"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Pete-Hegseth-5.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2406348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2406348"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2406348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2406355,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2406348\/revisions\/2406355"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2406349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2406348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2406348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2406348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}