U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's press conference on Thursday left two political analysts in disbelief.
Hegseth spoke to the media about the ongoing war in Iran and suggested that the American media was working against the Trump administration's objectives by covering the war negatively. He also bashed America's allies in Europe for not helping the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which the Iranian regime effectively blockaded to American and Israeli ships after the two countries began a coordinated bombing campaign in Iran in late February.
“Our ungrateful allies in Europe, even segments of our own press, should be saying one thing to President Trump: thank you,” Hegseth said at one point.
Tommy Veitor and Jon Favreau, both former Obama White House staffers, described Hegseth's presser as a "farce" on a new episode of their podcast, "Pod Save America."
"Ungrateful European allies — he's just taking shots at people for no good reason," Favreau said.
"It's just a farce," Vietor said.
Trump has tried to rally international support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. So far, only Estonia has stepped forward to discuss the issue. Every other NATO ally has told Trump they won't help, according to reports.