'Ignorant and antiquated': Pete Hegseth accused of 'endangering troops' with new statement

Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was ridiculed on social media on Sunday, following a statement he made against climate change.

Hegseth had a rocky path to being confirmed in his current position, following allegations of sexual assault and drinking concerns. His prior statements about women in the military also raised some red flags for certain observers.

CNN reporter Haley Britzky over the weekend reported, "The DOD and DOGE have said they plan to cut climate programs in the Pentagon — but officials & experts are warning that climate efforts at DOD are directly linked to military readiness, and say cuts could put troops and military operations at risk."

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"In response to a list of questions from CNN about military readiness as it relates to climate programs, Pentagon Spox John Ullyot said 'Climate zealotry and other woke chimeras of the Left are not part' of DOD’s mission," Britzky added.

Hegseth responded to the reporter, saying, "John is, of course, correct. The [Department of Defense] does not do climate change crap."

"We do training and warfighting," he added.

But that didn't go over well with everyone.

Self-described progressive political junkie Richard Angwin, who boasts nearly 200,000 followers on X, said, "Pete Hegseth's rejection of climate programs at DOD ignores military readiness risks."

"His focus on 'warfighting' over science endangers troops facing climate threats like heat and storms. This stance prioritizes ideology over security," Angwin wrote Sunday.

Mark Raymond, a former field organizer with Cory Booker for Senate, said, "Climate change is likely to be an underlying cause for a large portion of global instability over the next century, causing wars, refugee crises, etc. Seems dumb for the DOD to ignore it just to score political points."

Independent veteran Paul Rieckhoff chimed in, "So ignorant and antiquated. And proud of it."