Hegseth strengthens his hand as he outruns the ‘on his way out hype’

War Secretary Pete Hegseth appears to have strengthened his standing in the eyes of the only person who matters, his boss, President Donald Trump, despite weathering multiple headaches early in his tenure.

Since the war in Iran began on Feb. 28, Hegseth, along with Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has trotted out weekly to the Pentagon briefing room where he’s said he’s not talking to the reporters in the room but to the people watching at home. He’s just as quick to praise the successes of Operation Epic Fury as he is to bash the media’s coverage of the war. Every Pentagon briefing since the war began has taken place at 8 a.m., the time at which the president is known to tune in to one of his favorite shows, Fox & Friends on Fox News.

“I stand here today speaking to you, the American people, not