President Donald Trump appeared to be confused when asked for comment on the firing of the Pentagon's top military planner.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, a top Joint Chiefs of Staff official targeted online by far-right influencer Laura Loomer, and reporters asked the 80-year-old president about Defense Department claims that the general had leaked classified information.
"She’s got problems," Trump said. "She’s going to have big problems. We’re very much looking for leakers, and she's going to have big problems – long-term problems."
The reporter referred to the ousted general, who is a man, only by his rank and last name, and Trump seemingly assumed Sylvia was a woman.
Loomer went after Sylvia’s son Gavin, a FEMA data analyst, in September 2025 over his response to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. She urged Hegseth to “review the employment of Gavin’s father,” writing, “These people hate us.”
Sylvia's firing comes as Trump weighs renewed strikes on Iran after Tuesday’s midterms, and military sources questioned the timing of removing the director of for Strategy, Plans and Policy, known as J5.
The Pentagon first thanked Sylvia for “32 years of distinguished service" but later retracted that statement, saying it “did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances.”
One America News reporter Alexandra Ingersoll, citing an unnamed Defense Department official, claimed Sylvia was fired for “severe misconduct.” The official alleged that Sylvia leaked classified information about the Iran and Ukraine wars, failed three polygraphs, and was referred to the Justice Department. Those claims have not been independently confirmed, and Sylvia has not commented publicly.
Hegseth boasted in September that he’d cut about 10 percent of the military’s top brass. At least 26 generals and admirals have left under his watch.