Hegseth berates reporters for not covering how "special" America is in epic meltdown

Arlington, Virginia - Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth recently went off on the media for not sharing more news reports that makes him and President Donald Trump's administration look good.

During a press conference on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lectured the press for not sharing more news stories celebrating America.
During a press conference on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lectured the press for not sharing more news stories celebrating America.  © Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

On Thursday, Hegseth held a news conference in the Pentagon to discuss President Trump's recent decision to bomb nuclear sites in Iran, but he instead spent most of his time attacking the media.

At one point, Hegseth went on a long tangent, telling the press it was "in your DNA and in your blood" to "cheer against Trump so hard."

"You want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of the strikes," Hegseth said, seemingly pointing to leaked intelligence reports that found the strikes were not as effective as the administration has insisted.

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"Let's take half-truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it, spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the public mind over whether or not our brave pilots were successful," Hegseth continued.

He went on to accuse journalists of "undermining the success" of the "historic" mission instead of celebrating military personnel as they should.

"How about we celebrate that? How about talk about how special America is, that only we have these capabilities? I think it's too much to ask, unfortunately, for the fake news, so we're used to that," he added.

President Donald Trump shares his thoughts on Pete Hegseth's performance

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (c.) and Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine (r.) take a question from a reporter during a news conference at the Pentagon on June 26, 2025.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (c.) and Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine (r.) take a question from a reporter during a news conference at the Pentagon on June 26, 2025.  © Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Hegseth combated questions from the press throughout the rest of the conference, barely giving any update on the conflict between Israel and Iran.

In another moment that has gone viral, Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin asked the secretary about Iran having reportedly moved enriched uranium out of their facilities before the bombings, to which Hegseth responded, "Jennifer, you've been about the worst, the one who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says."

Griffin retorted that she has been reporting on the entire mission "with great accuracy."

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Her counter appeared to disarm Hegseth, as he responded, "I appreciate you acknowledging that this was the most successful mission based on operational security that this department has done since you’ve been here."

The tense nature of the conference appeared to impress President Trump, who regularly makes similar spectacles out of publicly attacking the press.

In a Truth Social post shared right after the event, Trump said it was "one of the greatest, most professional, and most 'confirming' news conferences I have ever seen!"

Cover photo: Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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