MS NOW's Joe Scarborough was incredulous as one of his guests offered to defend Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's handling of the Iran war.
The "Morning Joe" host mocked Hegseth for boasting "we negotiate with bombs" during an Oval Office event with President Donald Trump, and Scarborough said he doesn't understand what the 79-year-old commander in chief sees in his Pentagon chief.
"It'samazing to us that Donald Trump,who is worried about,especially in military, helikes people that fit the part,that are from central casting,that somebody who is so wildlyout of step with what hissecretary of defense looks likeat a time of war would still bethere," Scarborough said.
The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg stepped up to defend Hegseth on the one-year anniversary of his bombshell report on how he was inadvertently added to a Signal chat where the defense secretary discussed sensitive war planning in Yemen with top-ranking Trump administration officials, and Scarborough erupted in laughter.
"Oh, come on!" Scarborough exclaimed. "I don't see it."
"Okay," added co-host Mika Brzezinski. "Let's go – come on. I want to hear this."
Goldberg also broke into laughter along with the other panelists on the set, but he composed himself to begin his promised defense.
"If he hadn't said it the wayhe said it, which is, of course,a big caveat, right?" Goldberg said. "Thepoint is, it's – there's agood cop and there's a bad cop,and Hegseth said we aregoing to degrade your missilecapability and your defensivecapability in your navy untilsuch time as you come ready tonegotiate a deal with mypresident over here."
"It didn't sound like that," interjected Brzezinski.
"Yes, I mean, there's a big caveat, that's not what it sounded like," Goldberg conceded.
"Is Pete Hegseth one of your sources, Jeffrey?" Scarborough teased. "Come on! Thisis like we have Bob Woodward onit. We can always tell whenhe's writing a book aboutsomebody because he wouldsuddenly go soft."
"Also, everythingabout him, the hair, the makeup – I love his hair andmakeup," Goldberg said, joining in the ridicule of the former Fox News host. "No, no, no – I mean,there is a point in explaining,and explaining to the Iranians,look, if your posture is not amenableto the president, I'm here, Iam the Defense Department.Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoffcan go negotiate with you. I'mgoing to pound you intosubmission. That is the policy,after all. It just soundsabsurd when he does his machothing."