Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling lambasted Pete Hegseth amid reporting that the defense secretary is considering a run for president in 2028, telling MS NOW the former Fox News host doesn’t have the “credentials or the capability” to serve as the nation’s commander in chief.
Hegseth has floated the possibility of a White House bid among several close friends and associates, NBC News reported, citing two people familiar with the conversations. In a social media post, the defense secretary dismissed speculation over his political future and said his only focus was to “Make @DeptofWar Great Again.”
Hertling said Hegseth’s track record at the Pentagon doesn’t exactly inspire confidence for his leadership capabilities.
“Secretary Hegseth has had a lot of challenges in running the Department of Defense,” he told the co-hosts of “The Weekend” on Saturday. “I think it would take a whole lot of arrogance and hubris for anyone that has had some of the challenges he’s had in an element of government to say, ‘Okay, now I’m going to run for president.’”
The retired lieutenant general said Hegseth has caused turmoil inside the agency, calling attention to a new report from The New York Times about the defense secretary’s ongoing purge of the Pentagon. The Times reported that Hegseth is blocking the promotions of four Army officers, apparently in violation of the military’s promotion system, which is meant to be apolitical and merit-based.
“I’ve sat on promotion boards. I know how these lists work,” Hertling said. “It is not within, truthfully, the authority of Secretary Hegseth to do this.”
He added that the secretary’s interference is “roiling the morale” of America’s military, “especially the senior ranks of the Army who are seeing this happen.”
The MS NOW military analyst said Hegseth’s actions show he is not the type of leader America needs at this political moment.
“What we’re going to need in 2028 is someone that can bring a divided nation back together, that will have a little bit of humility and a whole lot less swagger than some of the people who are considering running,” he said. “That’s what I believe we need in the country.”
Hegseth “just doesn’t have, in my view, the credentials or the capability for running for the highest office in the land,” Hertling added.
You can watch Hertling’s full interview in the clip at the top of the page.
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