This Is Laughable Truth About Trump’s ‘Tough Guy’

Photo Illustration by Victoria Sunday/The Daily Beast/Getty Images Pete Hegseth is a “lackey” at the expense of the U.S. military and the American people, the long-time Trump biographer Michael Wolff says.

“He is unfit for this job, inexperienced for this job, not to mention all of the personal baggage he brings to this job,” Wolff told co-host Joanna Coles on the Inside Trump’s Head podcast.

“That’s the nature of the crisis here.” Wolff says Hegseth has eschewed the traditional role of the Defense Secretary, which he feels is to help the president avoid warfare.

Instead, Wolff says that Hegseth has done President Donald Trump’s bidding at every turn, even if that means launching a war like the one with Iran that has tanked his approval rating.

“The job as the Secretary of Defense would be to offer the President of the United States—the Commander-in-Chief—all of the reasons we shouldn’t go to war.

All of the reasons that it might be an unwinnable war, or a difficult war to win, or a costly war.

And clearly he didn’t do that in any way,” Wolff said.

The Iran war, which Hegseth has enthusiastically endorsed, is now in its eighth month.

“He is possibly the least equipped, least experienced, least appropriate person to lead the American military,” Coles said of Hegseth.

“He nevertheless has the presidency also in his sights.” She said Hegseth’s second “State of the Force” speech last week was the one-time Fox News host “laying out his platform” for a presidential run “to attract the MAGA base post-Trump.” At the Pentagon, Hegseth has gone to war against what he claims are “DEI” promotions , has fired senior top military brass who do not enthusiastically back him, and has introduced new physical standards and medical screenings .

He has also pushed prayer and Christian faith on the service, slashing the list of “approved” religions, and erasing ‘atheist’ as an option for serving members to identify as.

These moves, which Hegseth highlighted in his ‘State of the Force’ speech, are part of his push to appeal to both Trump and the MAGA faithful, Wolff says.

Wolff said, “This is not really about the military.

It’s not really about running the Pentagon.