President Trump turned a surprise press briefing into a full-throated defense of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, while also taking direct aim at CNN and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). The briefing followed his Monday meeting with UFC CEO Dana White, whom he had offered the job of White House Press Secretary. White turned down the offer, which President Trump had previously described as a joke, but the unusual setup still led to roughly 30 minutes of questions from reporters.
Just before the briefing, Massie went to the House Floor to introduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth. He later held a press conference at the Capitol. That gave CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins a ready-made line of questioning, and she repeatedly pressed President Trump on whether he would continue backing Hegseth if the impeachment effort moved forward. It was a familiar media setup: focus on the controversy, demand a defensive answer, and hope the president steps into the frame CNN prepared for him.
President Trump did not take the bait. Asked whether he would stand by Hegseth, he answered, “I’ll stand by him,” and repeated the point. He added, “We won two wars, he was in charge, we all won. I had great people.” When Collins replied, “Massie says that he’s carried out illegal acts,” President Trump delivered the line that will likely dominate coverage of the exchange: “Massie is a loser just like you’re a loser at CNN, just like your ratings are a loser.”
That is not exactly the sort of answer that ends up on a CNN media training poster. But it was direct, and President Trump did not soften his view of Massie’s effort. He said, “Massie has a lot of hatred in his heart,” and said he had heard what Massie did but did not want to waste his time watching him. His broader complaint was that Massie was targeting Hegseth while other military leaders who presided over losing wars were not facing the same treatment.
President Trump specifically asked about Lloyd Austin, saying, “Why haven’t we gone after all these other people that ran wars that lost? What about this? What about good old Lloyd [Austin]? Why didn’t we go after him?” He also questioned why officials he said had disappeared while in charge of the military were not pursued. The point was blunt: if military leadership is going to be judged, President Trump argued, it should not selectively aim at the official currently associated with improved recruitment.
President Trump then contrasted the recruitment picture during Biden’s administration with the numbers he said his administration is now producing. He said military recruitment had been at its worst when he was campaigning and that the services could not fill their spots. He pointed to strong interest across the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Space Force, police, and fire departments. He also said there are now waiting lists of people trying to join.
That led to his defense of Hegseth’s standing with the troops. “So, now we have the best numbers we’ve ever had. And I will say this: the soldiers, the actual soldiers, the great people that do the work, the great patriots, they love Pete Hegseth.” President Trump added, “He’s done a very good job.”
CNN came looking for a concession. It left with a presidential rebuke, a defense of Hegseth, and no indication that President Trump plans to let media pressure dictate his position. The exchange was blunt, sarcastic, and hardly the scripted answer Collins appeared to be seeking.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
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