In Donald Trump’s orbit, no one is truly shielded from risk, and that is the danger faced by anyone who joins his administration.
In the latest development in Defense Chief Pete Hegseth’s broader campaign to reshuffle senior military leadership, Trump directed his ire at the former Fox News host. He allegedly told Sen. Joni Ernst that Hegseth bears the blame for the ouster of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April.
George’s exit has left the largest branch of the U.S. military without a commander at a moment when Trump is waging war in the Middle East and Russia’s escalating aggression in its long-running war in Ukraine.
The New York Times, in a report dated August 25, described a call between Ernst, the Republican from Iowa, and Trump. Ernst contacted him to object to George’s firing, arguing that he was a top officer and among the Army’s most capable leaders.
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The Times also reported she told Trump that George’s parents had voted for him.
But it is Trump’s reply to Ernst that stands out. The president told Ernst that Hegseth was wholly to blame for pressing George to leave.
“Tell the general I’m sorry,” the news outlet quoted Trump as saying, in a rare admission of fault from a president not known for apologies.
The Times also noted Ernst believed Hegseth had assured her George would be permitted to finish his term, which would have run until mid-2027.
Now there appears to be insufficient Senate support, including Ernst, to confirm Hegseth’s successor, Vice Chief of Staff and acting Army Chief Christopher LaNeve.
Social media exploded with scorn and revulsion at what many described as Hegseth’s reckless and dangerous purge of the Defense Department.
“Hegseth is running the U.S. military as if he were a child playing with a box of soldiers! Every loss of an experienced senior officer weakens America!” a Threads user declared above a photo of Hegseth.
In the same post, a bold caption read: “WHEN CENTRAL CASTING SENDS YOU A FAILED TV PRESENTER BY MISTAKE.”
Another agreed, adding simply, “The enemy within.”
X users chimed in, “Confirmed – Trump is an old fool not in control of his cabinet.”
A commenter added, “Very scary. Hegseth is running Trump!”
The reasons behind Hegseth’s abrupt dismissal of George remain unclear, but a separate report in The Washington Post attributed it to an unapproved military fly-by in late March.
The Post reported that days before George’s firing, LaNeve pressed him to drop an investigation into an “unauthorized helicopter flyby of musician Kid Rock’s Tennessee estate.” The newspaper cited three people familiar with the matter.
The report said George essentially resisted, insisting that it was important to follow standard protocol and determine whether the March 28 flyby violated any safety regulations.
LaNeve, Hegseth’s former senior military aide, reportedly told George that Hegseth was pressing for an end to the inquiry.
The Army shake-up did not stop with George. The Wall Street Journal reported Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was also planning to leave, potentially before year’s end, amid tensions with Hegseth.
The Times notes Driscoll has already moved his family out of military housing and is “barely on speaking terms” with Hegseth.
Another spring report described Hegseth as increasingly paranoid that Driscoll, who enjoys Trump’s favor, could remove him from his perch.
As for Four-Star General Randy George, who is now retired, he is a West Point graduate and a career infantry officer. After decades of service, George served as a senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin under the Biden administration.
Former President Joe Biden nominated George to be Army Chief of Staff, and he served in that role for three years until Hegseth dismissed him. Army Chiefs of Staff typically serve four-year terms, according to CBS News.
