Pete Hegseth Lashes Out At Fox News Reporter In Meltdown That Would Make Karoline Leavitt Blush

The Trump administration just can't stop the blunders. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to emulate Trump's insult game, but just made things look worse. And since becoming the United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth has had many controversial moments. Now, on June 26, 2025, during a Pentagon briefing discussing America's strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Hegseth lashed out at a former Fox News colleague. The erstwhile news anchor didn't leave off on the best of terms with his ex-coworkers before taking a position at the White House. Many of his former Fox News colleagues took issue with Pete Hegseth, specifically, for his behavior related to alcohol. 

When asked by Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin about whether or not the strike on Iran's nuclear site, Fordow, had been as successful as Donald Trump claimed, Hegseth admonished her. "Do you have certainty that all the highly enriched uranium was inside the Fordow Mountain?" Griffin asked (via Associated Press). "Because there were satellite photos that showed more than a dozen trucks there two days in advance. Are you certain that none of that highly enriched uranium was moved?" Griffin's question was a fair point, but Hegseth accused the reporter of twisting the truth. "Of course we're watching every single aspect," Hegseth answered. "But Jennifer, you've been about the worst, the one who mis-represents the most intentionally." 

Immediately after Pete Hegseth called Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin "the worst" for spinning the news, the Secretary of Defense lashed out at another female reporter for inquiring about Hegseth's sexist comment regarding American troops. "Why not acknowledge the female pilots that also participated in this mission?" the reporter asked. The comment came four days after Hegseth referred to the B-2 pilots who dropped the 15-ton bombs on Iran's nuclear sites as "our boys on those bombers." "The early messages you sent out only congratulated the boys," the reporter continued as Hegseth began laughing. 

"I'll keep saying things like that," the Defense Secretary said, describing it as a "common phrase." Hegseth accused reporters of spinning his words with too much of a focus on "the obsession of race and gender." While the move toward gender equality relies on spotlighting moments in which women break glass ceilings, the United States Secretary of Defense is not interested in acknowledging the women carrying out dangerous missions in historically male-dominated roles. "I don't care if it's a male or a female in that cockpit, and the American people don't care," Hegseth insisted.