U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth behind, speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight from Dover, Delaware, to Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Retired Army Colonel Jeff McCausland accused Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth of taking something serious like a war and turning it into nothing more than another one of his Fox News "performances."
Writing for MS NOW, McCausland said that Hegseth is doing nothing more than playing war, "replete with braggadocio and empty phrases like 'we’re playing for keeps' and 'death and destruction from the sky all day.'"
Meanwhile, the White House is promoting the war through Hollywood films and video games, thereby diminishing its seriousness. It's no surprise that "White House officials reportedly believe the Trump administration is losing the communications war with Americans."
It also might explain why Hegseth has turned to press briefings after swearing off of them. McCausland complained that if Hegseth thinks his presentation could inspire Americans to support Trump's war, it hasn't worked.
The White House has been criticized for its failures around the war from the start. Less than 24 hours before the bombs began falling, the administration evacuated the embassy in Israel. It wasn't until after the bombs fell and Iran began fighting back that the administration evacuated Americans throughout the region.
Seven American soldiers were killed after an Iranian drone ran into their triple-wide trailer, where they were working with nothing more than some concrete barriers as protection. McCausland said that Hegseth is now using their deaths to justify airing "his grievances that go back at least to March 2025, when, according to the Pentagon’s Office of the Inspector General, Hegseth violated Defense Department policy and put troops at greater risk when he used his personal cell phone to share sensitive military information in a group chat."
Hegseth's failure to ensure Americans' safety in the region may have been his fault, but he appears to be fighting against the media to save himself.
“When a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front-page news. I get it … the press only wants to make the president look bad," Hegseth told the press.
To McCausland, all of this minimizes the seriousness of their sacrifice.
Nothing highlights Hegseth's performative behavior more than the contrast with Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine.
"Caine embodies calm professionalism," characterized McCausland.
To Trump and Hegseth it's all part of a reality TV show.
"During a recent phone interview, the president told ABC’s Jonathan Karl, 'I hope you are impressed … How do you like the performance?'"
He closed by reinforcing the reality that "war is serious. And the president and his officials need to treat it as such."