Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) took an opportunity to grill then-Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth in January 2025 about whether he would immediately go into defense work after serving his tenure in President Donald Trump’s cabinet, believing she had him with a “gotcha” question. However, Hegseth, ever quick on his feet, turned things around and made Warren a literal laughingstock during the proceedings.
“Mr. Hegseth, you’ve written that after they retire, generals should be banned from working for the defense industry for 10 years,” Warren said as Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “You and I agree on the corrosive effects of the revolving door between the Pentagon and defense contractors. The question I have for you on this is: Will you put your money where your mouth is and agree that when you leave this job, you will not work for the defense industry for 10 years?”
Hegseth told Warren that he hasn’t even given the idea of serving in the defense industry after his time in the Trump administration any thought, going on to add that he would consult with President Trump concerning such a move. “Senator, it’s not even a question I’ve thought about,” he said. The answer did not satisfy Warren, who had seemingly already made up her mind that Hegseth was indeed going to make such a move.
“In other words, you’re quite sure that every general who serves should not go directly into the defense industry for 10 years, but you’re not willing to make that same pledge?” Warren asked, according to The Western Journal. And this is the moment where Hegseth’s wit shined forth and caused the entire hearing to burst into laughter.
“I’m not a general, Senator,” Hegseth retorted with a smirk. All those in attendance thought the comment was a gut-buster and laughter echoed throughout the room. Among those in the room during the hearing were 30 former Navy SEALs and Special Forces veterans who came to show support for Hegseth’s nomination. And this wasn’t the only moment during the confirmation hearing that Hegseth shined.
The soon-to-be secretary of war took on the problem of the Pentagon’s top-heavy bureaucracy. “We won World War II with seven four-star generals. Today we have 44 four-star generals. There’s an inverse relationship between the size of staffs and victory on the battlefield,” Hegseth said. “We don’t need more bureaucracy at the top, we need more warfighters empowered at the bottom.”
“It’s going to be my job … to identify where fat can be cut, so it can go toward lethality,” he finished. Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida also got a chance to question Hegseth. During the exchange, Hegseth revealed that his motivation for accepting his nomination for the position was a desire to get the Pentagon back on mission.
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“People see me as someone who hosts a morning show on television. But people that really know me know where my heart’s at,” he told Scott. “It’s with the guys in this audience who’ve had my back, and I’ve had theirs,” Hegseth continued, pointing to his supporters behind him. “We’ve been in some of the darkest and most difficult places you can ever be in. … I’m doing this job for them, for all of them.”