Pete Hegseth is said to have lost the respect of his senior officers after an “embarrassing” speech in which he railed against “fat troops” and the state of the US armed forces.

Zookeeper and conservationist Robert Irwin filed a $60 million lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. A rumor that circulated online in October 2025 claimed (archived) zookeeper and conservationist Robert Irwin filed a $60 million lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

A report from the right wing Washington Times claims Secretary of Defense/War Pete Hegseth has lost the trust and confidence in the military, which culminated in his speech on Sept. 30 speech to hundreds of generals and admirals gathered at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia as the last straw.

"Watch as Gavin Newsom shatters Pete Hegseth's 'Alpha Male Energy' in just 10 seconds. You won't believe what happens next! 😂

US military personnel have until the end of the month to either watch the speech or read the transcript of the defense secretary's comments.

The first, and perhaps most obvious, hint that the story was fabricated was that Hegseth no longer works for Fox News.

The Biden administration’s Disinformation Governance Board and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s media restrictions are attempts to control information, both true and false, and have

As someone who has become accustomed to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s past excesses, I sort of saw the new rules for journalists coming.