2026-10-17T09:00:44.614Z / 美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）
美国国防部长皮特·赫格斯极少回避争议，但他最新的“壮举”——宣布将对被定罪的胡德堡大规模枪击案凶手执行枪决并进行直播——就连唐纳德·特朗普总统也认为太过火了。
尽管特朗普在周四叫停了这场直播，但这一事件凸显了赫格斯日益挑衅的公众形象背后的风险。他的一些亲密顾问认为，这种形象能助他一路入主白宫，但也有其他人警告称，这可能危及他潜在的政治前途。
正如CNN此前报道的那样，赫格斯提议对尼达尔·哈桑执行枪决直播的举动最初让特朗普感到意外。两名特朗普顾问称，此举是赫格斯试图迎合特朗普和“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）阵营的情绪。但在两党反对声中特朗普最终反悔，这一决定在政府内部一些人看来，不仅是对赫格斯的打击，也为他在五角大楼刻意塑造的好战、迎合电视观众的形象敲响了警钟。
不过，两名知情人士告诉CNN，赫格斯推动直播处决的举动与其未来的政治野心相契合。其中一名消息人士称，这场直播“纯粹是情绪宣泄”，并指出这符合赫格斯作为前电视主持人的戏剧化风格——他自认为了解如何打动美国民众。
CNN与十多名现任和前任政府官员、特朗普盟友、共和党幕僚以及熟悉赫格斯政治圈子的人士进行了交谈，结果显示，这位从未担任过民选公职的国防部长，正在采取一系列可能为其政治未来铺路的行动。他刻意塑造硬汉公众形象，扶植了一群精通媒体的顾问团队，并测试了能吸引MAGA阵营的宣传话术——尽管他在五角大楼的履历和对争议的热衷可能会收窄其政治道路。
在塑造“战士”形象的过程中，赫格斯身边聚集了前福克斯新闻制作人和社交媒体红人，其中最核心的人物是他的妻子詹妮弗·赫格斯。消息人士称，这个小圈子在他仍信任的日益缩小的顾问团队中拥有远超其职位的影响力。
多名消息人士透露，这些顾问中的许多人都鼓励赫格斯考虑参选公职，包括2028年竞选总统。他们的理由是：两大热门候选人副总统JD·万斯和国务卿马可·卢比奥可能不会参选，且其获得提名的道路充满不确定性。他们认为赫格斯应该敞开选择的大门。
“他们中的很多人都押上了全部身家，”一名支持赫格斯政治野心的政府官员说道。该消息人士补充道，赫格斯最亲密的顾问们之所以关注他的政治前途，部分原因是他们认为当选公职是他卸任五角大楼职务后为数不多的可行出路之一。
他最亲近的顾问还辩称，赫格斯拥有“候选人气质”，相比其他潜在的特朗普继任者，他的形象更具优势。不过，也有一些人承认，他对五角大楼的改革引发了批评，而他对所有质疑其观点或政策的人始终保持好战态度，这将成为赢得选民支持的阻碍。
与万斯（去年担任共和党筹款主席）和卢比奥（2016年总统竞选人）不同，赫格斯缺乏筹集总统竞选资金所需的深厚捐助者人脉。与此同时，与得克萨斯州参议员特德·克鲁兹关系密切的一个超级政治行动委员会仍在积极运作，克鲁兹也在公开暗示将再次参选总统。
一些特朗普盟友告诉CNN，他们认为只有万斯决定不参选，赫格斯才会考虑2028年总统竞选。
消息人士补充道，万斯拥有获得特朗普支持的内部优势——选择潜在继任者是2024年选拔这位俄亥俄州参议员作为竞选搭档时的考量因素之一，而没有总统的支持，赫格斯将面临极为艰难的局面。
NBC新闻在8月首次报道了赫格斯关于2028年总统竞选的私下讨论。当时赫格斯称该报道“100%虚假”。
在回应CNN就本文提出的问题时，五角大楼新闻主任金斯利·威尔逊在一份声明中表示：“赫格斯部长并未参选总统，他唯一的优先事项是领导陆军部。”
五角大楼首席发言人肖恩·帕内尔在一份声明中称，赫格斯“从未”讨论过CNN报道的任何内容。“作为赫格斯部长的高级顾问之一，我可以证明，他每一天都在致力于保护国家，为我们的军人提供他们取得胜利所需的一切，”帕内尔说道。
尽管赫格斯的形象和直言不讳的风格对MAGA阵营具有明显吸引力——该阵营将在特朗普卸任后寻找新的政治归宿，但他对伊朗战争的监管是一项重大挑战。美国在中东的最新军事行动极不受选民欢迎，民调显示，这一行动正在拉低特朗普和共和党在中期选举中的支持率。
赫格斯的政治活动——包括今年早些时候前往艾奥瓦州为共和党众议院候选人造势——加剧了人们对他未来参选公职的猜测。
田纳西州对他的政治动向越来越关注，他的家人多年前已移居该州，但当地共和党消息人士称，他尚未在该州采取任何可能表明其怀有政治野心的行动。
“我们为他为我们效力感到非常自豪，”田纳西州共和党主席斯科特·戈尔登说道。“我只想说，我希望他在某个时候考虑参选公职，无论级别高低，只要是他想做的。”
赫格斯在五角大楼的大部分工作都围绕着塑造特定的公众形象，核心是他正在发起一场铲除军队内部所谓“觉醒主义”的运动。
五角大楼内部有时称他为“文化战争部长”，他的优先事项包括裁减军队将军数量、将国防部更名为“陆军部”，甚至推出一项“睾酮缺乏症”筛查计划。
“我们不再是觉醒的部门，也不再是软弱的部门。简单翻译一下？没有胖子，没有跨性别者，没有怪人，没有怪胎，没有懦夫，没有激进分子。只有战士，”赫格斯在9月的“部队状况”演讲中说道。“意识形态小丑已经退场。爱国的硬汉们登场了——再加上睾酮检测。”
被视为刻意打造理想公众形象的赫格斯，基本与媒体隔绝，经常拒绝回答有关其决策的问题。在对伊朗战争初期举行的几场新闻发布会上，赫格斯首先会抨击媒体和记者对冲突的报道，称其“极其不爱国”。
https://www.cnn.com/
五角大楼希望“爱国媒体”，赫格斯回避尖锐问题
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五角大楼的公共信息传递也带上了更浓厚的政治色彩，尤其是在X平台上，国防部官方快速响应账号专门用于发布赫格斯的照片和演讲片段。
多名极右翼社交媒体网红和账号——包括至少两名现役陆军军官——定期积极为赫格斯的决策辩护，并在X平台上攻击他的批评者。（这违反了现役军人在线行为的严格规定。）其中一些人受雇于五角大楼，大楼内许多人将这个小团体视为一支网络军队， tasked with influencing public perception of Hegseth and his policies.（注：原文此处未完成，但按要求保留原格式）
赫格斯多次坚称，他的总体目标是通过拆除旨在避免平民伤亡等情况的防护措施，并支持法律上存疑的作战行动——其中一些行动已引发战争罪指控——使军队更具“杀伤力”。
这些举动遭到了五角大楼内部和特朗普政府其他部门官员的批评。但它们似乎也帮助赫格斯维持了一段对其政治前途至关重要的关系：与总统的关系。
尽管特朗普一直坚定地为赫格斯辩护，但熟悉情况的消息人士告诉CNN，总统身边的一些人——包括白宫西翼的部分官员——对此并不那么热情。
早在直播处决事件之前，赫格斯就已深陷多起争议，其中许多都被白宫轻描淡写，但其中一些仍让白宫官员甚至其他内阁成员感到不安。
其中一个问题是Signal聊天丑闻：2025年3月15日美军对也门胡塞武装发动空袭数小时前，赫格斯在Signal聊天应用程序中与高级政府官员分享了具体的行动细节。他的消息列出了精确的时间线和目标监视信息。赫格斯和聊天群成员都不知道，《大西洋月刊》主编也在该群中。
事件发生后，总统当时的国家安全顾问迈克·瓦尔茨成为了特朗普愤怒的主要发泄对象，但当时许多顾问认为，赫格斯本应受到更严厉的惩罚。
“这些人记性都很好，”一名特朗普顾问告诉CNN。
赫格斯急于对伊朗开战以及罢免高级军官的行为，也让他与总统的一些高级顾问产生了分歧。
在对伊朗发动首轮空袭的直接筹备期间，赫格斯是军事干预的最大支持者之一。
CNN当时报道称，在内部辩论期间，赫格斯不仅认可了特朗普推进行动的想法，还淡化了冲突升级的固有风险——而这一现实如今已成为事实。
白宫首席副新闻秘书安娜·凯利在一份声明中表示，白宫和五角大楼“完全一致，致力于将邪恶的叛徒尼达尔·马利克·哈桑绳之以法，他杀害了13名无辜民众”。
“赫格斯部长在领导五角大楼方面做得非常出色——‘史诗之怒’、‘绝对决心’和‘午夜铁锤’行动的结果不言自明，”她说道，这里指的是美国在伊朗和委内瑞拉的军事行动。
胡德堡枪击案凶手事件再次引发了人们对赫格斯动向的这些不满。值得注意的是，万斯是首批公开对赫格斯直播处决的计划表示怀疑的人之一，而万斯自己的2028年野心也给所有潜在竞争者蒙上了阴影。
“我的意思是，听着，如果一切都要直播，我不会看的，”万斯说道。
转向政治并非赫格斯的全新选择。在加入福克斯新闻之前，他于2012年在明尼苏达州参选参议员，当时他领导着一个保守派退伍军人倡导组织。
赫格斯参议院竞选团队的一名顾问告诉CNN，尽管当时32岁的赫格斯还是一名年轻候选人，但他在竞选活动中展现出了天生的天赋。
“皮特在竞选活动中表现出色，”这位要求匿名以坦率谈论赫格斯参议院竞选活动的顾问说道。“他是那种和你交谈时，会完全专注于你的人。他的目光会聚焦在你身上，这一点令人惊叹。”
但赫格斯最终在当年明尼苏达州共和党代表大会后退出了竞选，他在党团提名中输给了库尔特·比尔斯，后者摒弃了2012年共和党总统候选人罗恩·保罗的自由主义倾向。
赫格斯如今在田纳西州拥有一处住宅，该州更符合特朗普的政治风格。
上周末特朗普在田纳西州克拉克斯维尔举行集会，当时有关赫格斯政治未来的猜测有时成为了人们对他卸任五角大楼职务后职业生涯的谈资。这种猜测在某些时候有所升级，比如赫格斯的提名曾因一起过往性侵犯指控的曝光而岌岌可危——赫格斯已多次否认该指控——以及人们早期对他担任国防部长以来表现不稳的审查。
但当地共和党官员表示，赫格斯并未采取任何表明他打算在该州参选公职的行动。
“我个人非常希望他在未来某个时候参选公职。但老实说，并没有太多相关讨论，”田纳西州克拉克斯维尔州众议员阿隆·马贝里说道。“但我们都很喜欢他。我们很高兴他在‘陆军部’任职，成为一名田纳西人。”
该州一名资深共和党官员表示，除了一些传闻和猜测，在赫格斯的参议院确认投票岌岌可危之际，从未有过关于他可能参选州长或参议员的严肃讨论。
该官员从未感觉到赫格斯或其身边的人正在争取县党主席的支持，也没有感受到来自华盛顿的压力，要求帮助他找到一个稳妥的政治落脚点。
如果他离开五角大楼，转向田纳西州政坛可能会面临同样的挑战。
“他最大的挑战是，他是明尼苏达人，是华盛顿人，并没有真正的田纳西州人脉，”田纳西州保守派政治评论员、数字媒体出版物《TriStar Daily》的编辑兼出版商史蒂夫·吉尔说道。“如果他想建立人脉和支持基础，还有很多工作要做。我目前还没有看到他有任何相关行动的迹象。”
在特朗普的田纳西州集会上，赫格斯得到了MAGA忠实支持者的大多好评。CNN采访的许多与会者都与附近的坎贝尔堡军事基地关系密切，他们对赫格斯的军事改革表示认可。
克里斯·格雷姆普勒是一所学校的校长，该学校教授第160特种作战航空团成员如何驾驶装甲车。他在特朗普集会上接受CNN采访时表示，自赫格斯接管五角大楼以来，军人的士气明显提升。
“我爱死他了。你知道，看到他还和这些家伙一起做体能训练什么的，他就是——一个真男人。这些士兵都很喜欢这一点，”格雷姆普勒说道。
47岁的艾米丽·维埃拉是坎贝尔堡军事基地国防部学校的一名教师，她认为赫格斯未来可能从政。“我完全能想象得到。我能立刻看到他参选的样子，”她说道。“他非常善于沟通，能够以打动人心的方式传递信息。”
“我认为他不需要做出任何改变，”维埃拉在等待特朗普抵达克拉克斯维尔时说道。“他只需要保持真实，忠于自己的本色。”
但在特朗普的田纳西州集会上也存在一些怀疑态度。22岁的纳什维尔服务员亨特·米德表示，赫格斯在他看来过于表演化，他提到了今年早些时候赫格斯在孟菲斯国民警卫队部署期间的亮相。他还觉得动画喜剧《南方公园》最近将赫格斯塑造成一个沉迷社交媒体的粗人的形象，准确得有趣。
因此，尽管米德表示如果赫格斯参选公职他会持开放态度，但他仍心存疑虑。“我个人或作为领导者，特别喜欢皮特·赫格斯吗？并不特别，”米德说道。“我觉得他更像是作秀。”
Inside Hegseth’s political ambitions — and the risks threatening them
2026-10-17T09:00:44.614Z / CNN
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has rarely shied away from controversy, but his latest spectacle — announcing that the convicted Fort Hood mass shooter’s execution would be livestreamed — proved a bridge too far even for President Donald Trump.
While Trump pulled the plug on the broadcast Thursday, the episode underscores the risks behind Hegseth’s increasingly provocative public persona — one that some of his closest advisers believe could carry him all the way to the White House, but which others caution could jeopardize his possible political future.
Hegseth’s push to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan by firing squad initially surprised Trump, as CNN has previously reported. Two Trump advisers described the move as an attempt by Hegseth to play into the impulses of Trump and the MAGA base. But Trump’s eventual decision to backtrack on the idea amid bipartisan backlash was also viewed by some inside the administration as a blow to Hegseth — and a warning about the combative, made-for-TV image he has cultivated at the Pentagon.
Still, Hegseth’s push to livestream a public execution overlaps with his future political ambitions, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The livestream was “pure id,” one of the sources said, noting how it comports with Hegseth’s eye for theatrics as a former TV personality who believes he knows what resonates with the American public.
Conversations with more than a dozen current and former administration officials, Trump allies, Republican operatives and people familiar with Hegseth’s political orbit reveal a defense secretary who, while never holding elected office, is taking steps that could set up a political future. He has cultivated a macho public image, empowered a small group of media-savvy advisers and tested messages that appeal to the MAGA base — even as his record at the Pentagon and his appetite for controversy threaten to narrow his path.
As he’s sought to craft his “warrior” image, Hegseth has surrounded himself with former Fox News producers and social media personalities — chief among them his wife, Jennifer Hegseth. Sources said that group wields outsized influence within the shrinking circle of advisers he still trusts.
Many of those advisers have encouraged Hegseth to consider political office — including a possible presidential run in 2028, sources said. Their argument: The two main alternatives, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, may not run and face an uncertain path to the nomination. Hegseth, they believe, should keep his options open.
“A lot of them are all in,” said one administration official who supports Hegseth’s political ambitions. Many of those closest to Hegseth are focused on his political future in part because they see elected office as one of his few viable options after the Pentagon, the source added.
His closest advisers also argue that Hegseth has the “look” of a candidate and presents a stronger image than some of the other likely contenders to replace Trump. However, some also acknowledge the criticism his overhaul of the Pentagon has sparked, and that his consistently combative attitude toward those who question his views or policies present headwinds toward winning over the electorate.
Unlike Vance, who has served as the Republican Party fundraising chair this past year, and Rubio, a 2016 presidential contender, Hegseth also lacks deep connections to the donors needed to mount a White House bid. Meanwhile, a super PAC close to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz remains active as he publicly flirts with another presidential campaign.
Some Trump allies told CNN they believe Hegseth would entertain a 2028 presidential bid only if Vance decided not to run.
Vance has the inside track to get Trump’s support — choosing a potential successor was part of the calculus in selecting the Ohio senator as a running mate in 2024 — and Hegseth would face a steep climb without the president’s backing, sources added.
NBC News first reported on Hegseth’s private discussions about a possible 2028 run in August. At the time, Hegseth called the report “100% false.”
In response to CNN’s questions for this article, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement that “Secretary Hegseth is not running for president, and his only priority is leading the War Department.”
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell in a statement said that Hegseth had “not once” discussed any of what CNN was reporting. “As one of Secretary Hegseth’s senior advisors, I can attest that he spends every single day working to protect the nation and give our service members everything they need to be successful,” Parnell said.
While Hegseth’s image and blunt style have obvious appeal with a MAGA base that will be looking for a future home after Trump’s presidency, his oversight of the Iran war is a significant challenge. America’s latest military campaign in the Middle East is deeply unpopular with voters, and polls show it driving down support for both Trump and Republicans in the midterms.
Hegseth’s political activity — including traveling to Iowa earlier this year to rally for a GOP House candidate — has helped fuel speculation that he could someday run for office.
His political movements are watched with increasing interest in Tennessee, where his family moved several years ago, though GOP sources there say he has not taken steps in the state yet that might suggest he harbors political ambitions there.
“We’re very proud that he is serving us,” said Scott Golden, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. “And I would just say I hope he considers running for office at some point, at some level, whatever level he wants to do.”
Hegseth has focused much of his efforts at the Pentagon on crafting a particular public image for himself, based around the idea he is leading a charge to root out so-called “woke-ism” from the military.
At times referred to inside the Pentagon as the Secretary of Culture War, Hegseth’s priorities have included slashing the number of generals in the military, changing the Department of Defense to the “Department of War,” and even creating a screening program for “testosterone deficiency.”
“We are no longer the woke department or the weak department. Simple translation of that? No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors,” Hegseth said at a September “State of the Force” speech. “The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in — with testosterone testing on top.”
In what is seen as an effort to manufacture the specific public image he wants, Hegseth has largely insulated himself from the press and often declines to answer questions on his decision-making. Press conferences held near the beginning of the war with Iran began on many occasions with Hegseth’s ranting against the press and reporters’ coverage of the conflict, which he found to be “incredibly unpatriotic.”
https://www.cnn.com/
The Pentagon wants a ‘patriotic press’ as Hegseth avoids hard questions
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The Pentagon has also taken on a more political tone in some of its public messaging, particularly on X, where an official Defense Department Rapid Response account dedicates itself to sharing images of Hegseth and snippets of his speeches.
Several far-right social media personalities and accounts — including at least two active-duty Army officers— routinely and vigorously defend Hegseth’s decisions and attack his critics on X. (This despite strict regulations for how service members can conduct themselves online.) Several of the individuals are employed at the Pentagon and many in the building see the small group as an online army tasked with influencing public perception of Hegseth and his policies.
Hegseth has repeatedly insisted his overarching goal is to make the military more “lethal” by removing guardrails intended to prevent things like civilian casualties and by endorsing legally dubious combat operations — including some that have prompted allegations of war crimes.
Those moves have garnered criticism from officials both inside the Pentagon and elsewhere within the Trump administration. But they appear to have also helped Hegseth maintain the one relationship that matters most if he envisions some sort of political future for himself: the president.
While Trump has remained a steadfast defender of Hegseth, others close to the president — including some in the West Wing — are less enthusiastic, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Hegseth has been at the center of controversies even before the execution livestream, many of which the White House has brushed off, but some have left a lingering unease among White House officials and even some other Cabinet members.
One such issue is the Signal chat scandal, in which Hegseth shared specific operational details with senior administration officials in a Signal messaging app just hours before the US military carried out strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. His messages laid out exact timelines and target surveillance prior to the March 15, 2025, operation. Unbeknownst to Hegseth and the group, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic was part of the chat.
The president’s then-national security adviser Mike Waltz took the brunt of Trump’s ire following the controversy, but many advisers thought at the time Hegseth should have faced stronger repercussions.
“These people have long memories,” one Trump adviser told CNN.
Hegseth’s eagerness to go to war with Iran and his removal of high-ranking military officials have also put him at odds with some senior advisers to the president.
In the immediate lead-up to the first bombs being dropped on Iran, Hegseth was one of the biggest cheerleaders for military intervention.
While the debate played out internally, Hegseth not only validated Trump’s idea to move forward, he downplayed the inherent risks of the conflict spiraling, CNN reported at the time — a reality that’s now come to fruition.
White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement that the White House and Pentagon “are fully aligned on ensuring justice is brought to evil traitor Nidal Malik Hasan who killed 13 innocent people.”
“Secretary Hegseth is doing a great job leading the Pentagon — and the results of Operations Epic Fury, Absolute Resolve and Midnight Hammer speak for themselves,” she said, referencing US military operations in Iran and Venezuela.
The episode over the Fort Hood shooter has resurfaced some of these frustrations over Hegseth’s movements. And, notably, it was Vance, whose own 2028 ambitions cast a shadow over all possible contenders, who was among the first to publicly express doubt about Hegseth’s plans to livestream an execution.
“I mean, look, if it’s all through live stream, I’m not going to be watching it,” Vance said.
A turn to politics would not be new for Hegseth. Before joining Fox News, he ran for Senate in Minnesota in 2012, when he was leading a conservative veterans’ advocacy group.
An adviser for Hegeth’s Senate campaign told CNN that while Hegseth was a young candidate at 32 years old, he had natural talent on the campaign trail.
“Pete was great on the stump,” said the adviser, who requested anonymity to candidly discuss Hegseth’s Senate campaign. “He’s one of those people that when he’s talking to you, he’s talking to you. He has an amazing ability to do that. His eyes are focused on you.”
But Hegseth ultimately dropped out of the race after the Minnesota GOP convention that year, when he lost the party’s nomination to Kurt Bills, as a candidate who eschewed 2012 GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul’s libertarian-leaning ideology.
Hegseth now owns a home in Tennessee, a state much more amenable to Trump’s brand of politics.
Trump held a rally last weekend in Clarksville, Tennessee, where questions about Hegseth’s political future have at times become fodder for speculation for his post-Pentagon career. That speculation has intensified at times, like when Hegseth’s nomination was jeopardized by revelations about a past accusation of sexual assault — which Hegseth has repeatedly denied — and during early scrutiny of his uneven start as defense secretary.
But GOP officials there say Hegseth hasn’t made any moves that would suggest he’s eyeing a run for office there.
“I, for one, would love him to run for office at some point in the future. But honestly, there’s not been a lot of talk,” said state Rep. Aron Maberry of Clarksville, Tennessee. “But we love him. And we are excited that he’s in DC in the Department of War and a Tennessean.”
A senior GOP official in the state said that other than some rumors and intrigue, there was never any serious discussion about Hegseth potentially running for governor or senator back when his confirmation vote in the Senate was in jeopardy.
The official never got the sense that Hegseth or anyone close to him was lining up support from county chairs or that there was pressure coming from Washington to help him find a safe landing spot.
He could have the same challenge turning to Tennessee politics now, should he leave the Pentagon.
“His biggest challenge is, he’s a Minnesota guy, he’s a DC guy, he doesn’t have real Tennessee ties,” said Steve Gill, a conservative political commentator and editor and publisher of TriStar Daily, a digital media publication in Tennessee. “He has work to do if he wants to create that base of connections and support. I’m not seeing any indications yet that he’s doing that.”
At Trump’s Tennessee rally, Hegseth received mostly rave reviews from the MAGA faithful. Many attendees CNN spoke with had close ties to nearby Fort Campbell and approved of Hegseth’s military overhaul.
Kris Grempler is the owner of a school that teaches members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment how to drive armored vehicles. Speaking to CNN at Trump’s rally, he said that morale among service members is noticeably improved since Hegseth took over the Pentagon.
“I love him to death. You know, getting to see him like do PT and stuff with these guys still, like he’s just — he’s a guy’s guy. And these troops love that,” Grempler said.
Emily Vierra, 47, a teacher at a Department of Defense school at Fort Campbell, said she thinks Hegseth could have a future in politics. “I can see it 100%. I can see him doing it in a heartbeat,” she said. “He’s a great communicator, able to deliver and relay the message in a way that resonates with people.”
“I don’t think he needs to change a thing,” Vierra said as she waited for Trump to arrive in Clarksville. “I think he needs to be authentic and true to who he is.”
But there was also some skepticism at Trump’s Tennessee rally. Hunter Meade, a 22-year-old server from Nashville, said that Hegseth struck him as overly performative, pointing to the defense secretary’s appearance in Memphis during a National Guard deployment earlier this year. He also found the animated comedy series South Park’s recent portrayal of Hegseth as a social-media obsessed brute amusingly accurate.
So while Meade said he’d keep an open mind if Hegseth ran for office, he has his doubts. “Do I care for Pete Hegseth as a person or as a leader? Not particularly,” Meade said. “I think he’s more like for show.”
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