Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at the media and “disgruntled former employees” on Monday as controversy swirled around his use of the Signal app. Speaking at the White House during the traditional Easter Egg Roll, Hegseth dismissed claims that he had shared classified intelligence about attacks in Yemen during a private Signal discussion. He insisted that he and President Donald Trump remained fully aligned.
Hegseth took direct aim at the press, accusing it of recycling old narratives and undermining his work. “What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax,” he said. He claimed the reporting was designed to damage reputations rather than deliver truth.
“This is what the media does,” he continued, arguing that anonymous sources from bitter ex-employees had no credibility. He stressed that such tactics would not deter him. Instead, he vowed to continue reshaping the Pentagon, returning leadership to “war-fighters.” With his father and children at the event, he signaled confidence despite mounting criticism.
Reporters pressed Hegseth on whether he had spoken with the president about the allegations. He confirmed that he had and emphasized that both remained committed to the same path. “And we are going to continue fighting. On the same page all the way,” he declared. His comments reinforced unity at the top.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later pushed back against a report from NPR suggesting that Trump was considering replacing Hegseth. Leavitt labeled the claim “fake news,” arguing it relied on a single anonymous source without credibility. She reiterated that the president stood firmly behind his defense secretary.
The White House had already been facing scrutiny after reports that The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally added to a Signal chat with senior officials planning a strike on the Houthis. That incident followed an earlier controversy, when Hegseth was accused of discussing details of a March operation in Yemen through Signal messages with family members.
On Monday, NPR repeated claims that the administration was searching for a new Pentagon chief. Yet after Leavitt’s denial, the outlet revised its story, acknowledging her sharp rebuttal. “This @NPR story is total FAKE NEWS,” she wrote, accusing the outlet of acting as a propaganda machine. The White House’s Rapid Response team echoed the criticism on X.
This marked the second time in recent weeks that Trump personally defended Hegseth against calls for his resignation. Some Democrats argued he should step down after the Signal leak, which revealed sensitive information about military actions in Yemen. Trump dismissed the criticism, calling Hegseth’s performance “a great job” and insisting the uproar was misplaced.
The president also clarified that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz had accepted responsibility for mistakenly adding Goldberg to the Signal group. “It had nothing to do with anyone else,” Trump said. Downplaying concerns about classified leaks, he insisted that no damage was done. “The attack was unbelievably successful that night,” he concluded.