Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that his so-called Department of War should win the Nobel Peace Prize every year after initiating a military conflict in Iran that has caused death and destabilized the world's oil supply.
During a press conference on Friday, TMZ asked Hegseth what he felt while carrying out "this extreme level of violence."
"Do you feel like you're on a power trip?" the correspondent wondered.
"It's a very TMZ question," Hegseth shot back. "My only thought process is to ensure that our war fighters have everything they need to be successful, defeat and destroy the enemy, and they come home."
"Because war is violent," he continued. "War requires doing difficult things."
A second TMZ correspondent noted that Hegseth had insisted on calling the Department of Defense the Department of War despite a lack of congressional authorization.
"Would you consider changing the name again to the Department of Peace since that's what we're all after?" the reporter wondered.
"It's a great question, actually," Hegseth replied. "You go from defense to war because you want to be proactive about peace through strength."
"In fact, I once did a video about the one institution that you win the Nobel Peace Prize every single year is the United States military," he added, "because we are the guarantor of the safety and security not just of our country but of a lot of people in this world."
