The Atlantic staff writer Jonathan Chait claimed on “Morning Joe” Tuesday that defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth is “enthusiastic” about using the military on peaceful American liberals he allegedly deems as “foreign enemies.”
Chait argued in his recent column that Hegseth is the most dangerous of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks because he is supposedly fully prepared to carry out Trump’s alleged wishes to use the military for solely political purposes. Chait argued that Hegseth is “the embodiment” of the president-elect’s alleged wish to have a defense secretary who uses violence against peaceful protesters.
“What makes [Hegseth] so dangerous is that he’s the embodiment of Donald Trump’s unfulfilled first-term ambition of having a defense secretary who’s willing to use American troops to employ violence against peaceful protesters,” Chait said. “Trump demanded this of his defense secretaries during his first term, and they refused based on principle. But Hegseth is obviously very enthusiastic about this goal and broadly shares Trump’s worldview toward the American left, which he just regards as indistinguishable from foreign enemies.”
Trump stated in June 2020 that he would deploy “all available resources,” including members of the military, to tackle the violent riots roaming across Washington D.C. and other major cities in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. The then-president urged governors across the U.S. to deploy the National Guard to counter the rioters, looters, and lawlessness dominating the streets.
The now-president-elect said during a Fox News interview in October that it could be necessary to use the National Guard or military to stop “outside agitators” who cause violence in the streets on Election Day. Democrats and the liberal media previously accused Trump of wanting to use the military to arrest political opponents he viewed as an “enemy from within,” including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff.
Hegseth served as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard in Iraq and Afghanistan and in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and earned two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge in recognition of his service, according to his personal website. He served as the head of the Concerned Veterans for America and has written several books detailing his views on the flaws within the military.
Trump intends to fire “woke” Pentagon officials, slash funding, decrease the number of generals, and roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts to recruit more women and transgender soldiers. The America First Policy Institute, a think tank aligned with Trump, released an outline to “eliminate non-military issues such as climate change and democracy promotion from military doctrine and defense policies.”
All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline, and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- Jeanine Pirro details how DC Police allegedly cooked the books on crime data - December 17, 2025
- CNN’s Harry Enten says Democrats could go up in smoke if Trump reclassifies marijuana - December 17, 2025
- JD Vance turns tables on reporter asking about Susie Wiles’ alleged accusation that he’s a ‘conspiracy theorist’ - December 16, 2025
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
BPR INSIDER COMMENTS
Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!
