Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears to be living with an "ongoing delusion" that could force President Donald Trump to remove him after the midterms, according to one analyst.
Mike Nellis, a Democratic analyst, argued during a new episode of his podcast that Hegseth will likely be removed from the Trump administration because of a move he made to make it easier for the U.S. military to kill civilians during armed conflicts. He cited a recent report from ProPublica that found Hegseth had removed the U.S. from the International Contact Group on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response, which was formed following the war in Afghanistan.
"It is incredible, when you consider that they literally blew up a girls' school and refused to take accountability for it," Nellis said, referring to one of the first strikes the U.S. conducted during its recent conflict in Iran.
There is another reason Trump may seek to remove Hegseth after the midterms, according to Nellis. Hegseth seems to have a thought in his mind that he could be president one day, which Nellis described as an "ongoing delusion."
"I think Trump would get rid of him now if he could because Hegseth has been an embarrassment to him and he will be able to blame this failed war in Iran on him on his way out the door," Nellis said.
