Content Advisory: This article discusses political criticism, military conflict, and public backlash against government officials. Reader discretion is advised.
Pete Hegseth is facing backlash after praising Donald Trump in a way critics say went way too far.
The Secretary of Defense, 45, compared Trump, 79, to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln during a televised cabinet meeting on Wednesday, May 27. The moment came as officials discussed Trump’s renovation plans for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Trump had been talking about his real estate past and his experience building pools. “Over the years, I built hundreds of pools,” Trump said. “I always like to build Olympic-sized swimming pools.” He then claimed workers had removed “more than 10 dumpsters of garbage” from the Reflecting Pool as part of the renovation work.
That was when Hegseth jumped in.
Hegseth Compares Trump To Washington And Lincoln
Hegseth called Trump’s comments about the Reflecting Pool a “great segue,” then turned the conversation toward Iran.
“If you look at Washington and Lincoln, these are two men that faced monumental tasks and stood up in historic fashion and delivered for the American people,” Hegseth said.
He then argued that Trump had shown similar resolve in dealing with Iran. “When you step back and look at 47 years of what Iran waged war against us and our people, there’s only one man over the course of both presidency who has stood up and said they will never get a nuclear weapon,” he continued.
The comparison quickly spread online. Critics did not hold back.
Critics Call Out The Trump Praise
Several users accused Hegseth of flattering Trump rather than making a serious political argument.
One person joked, “Making sure to compliment Grandpa at the dinner table.” Another wrote, “What I hear is an incompetent weekend news anchor debasing himself to an aging reality tv host.”
A third user questioned the historical comparison directly, asking whether Hegseth was really comparing Trump to Washington, who helped found the nation, and Lincoln, who led the country through the Civil War. Another critic added, “These people think they have been successful on the scale of Washington and Lincoln. The arrogance is unparalleled.”
The backlash centered on the size of the comparison. Washington and Lincoln are two of the most revered figures in American political history. Putting Trump in that frame was always going to trigger a reaction.
Trump Gives No Firm Timeline On Iran
The cabinet meeting also came as Trump faced questions about the conflict with Iran.
When asked about a timeline, Trump pushed back. “The problem is, every time I mention a time frame,” he said, before comparing the current conflict to Vietnam, Korea, and Afghanistan. He argued that those conflicts lasted years, while the current one had only been going on for months.
Trump also appeared to issue a warning if Iran did not reach an agreement. “They are starting to give us the things that they have to give us, and if they do, that’s great,” he said. “If they won’t, then the man on my left is going to finish them off.” That man was Hegseth.
The line gave critics even more reason to focus on the cabinet meeting. Between the Washington-Lincoln comparison and Trump’s threat toward Iran, the moment turned into another political firestorm.
