Donald Trump has "appointed" his new "Secretary of War" -- but that title alone has left many people concerned.
President Trump on Friday praised what he appeared to believe was a live Fox News appearance by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump celebrated the segment as if it had been a live interview: “Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was great on Fox News this morning. Talking about modern weapons and warfare,” he wrote. “Thank you also to Brett Velicovich, who really knows his ‘stuff.’ We are really on our way. MAGA!”
However, Hegseth, the former Fox News host turned Trump-appointed Pentagon chief, was not live on Fox that morning. Instead, the network aired parts of a pre-recorded and heavily produced video in which Hegseth announced a new drone procurement initiative, The Independent details.
The clip, complete with dramatic music and a hovering quadcopter, showed Hegseth pulling a memo from a drone mid-air and declaring: “We’re in the fight to win it. And we’re never gonna back down.”
The footage, soundtracked by Metallica’s 'Enter Sandman', quickly made the rounds on cable news and social media, sparking both admiration, mockery, and concern.
Trump has doubled down on referring to Hegseth as “Secretary of War,” a title he’s recently revived from pre-World War II history. The U.S. officially retired the title in 1947, when the Department of Defense was created under the National Security Act, according to The Independent.
However, given the recent military escalations between Russia and Ukraine and Iran and Israel - as well as the US and other nations becoming increasingly involved - the mere mention of a "Secretary of War" has only increased fears of a potential World War III.
"Trump lost his mind irrevocably. Naming Secretary of Defense Secretary of War automatically makes him a president of War," one social media user wrote. "What an idiot. What a clown. What a disappointment."
Another tweeted: "Now, Trump is glorifying WAR by calling Pete Hegseth 'Secretary of War'. Whatever happened to ENDING THE ENDLESS WARS?!?!?! It’s like a new BETRAYAL now on the daily from the Trump Administration".
One X user scathed: "I thought you clowns were calling this delusional jackass a President of peace. Why is he calling Hegseth 'Secretary of War?'"
Referring to Trump's previous comments about Trump wanting to end global conflicts, one X user wrote: "He's stopping wars. By appointing a f***ing SECRETARY OF WAR????"
At a NATO summit last month, Trump had floated the idea of bringing the term back: “You know it used to be called Secretary of War?” he said, via Yahoo News, while standing beside Hegseth and Senator Marco Rubio. “Maybe for a couple of weeks we’ll call him that… because we feel like warriors.”
As previously mentioned, while Fox & Friends replayed the clip of Hegseth multiple times, he himself never actually appeared live on air.
Trump’s apparent confusion seemed to stem from a segment on America’s Newsroom, which aired shortly after Fox & Friends. During that segment, Fox brought on contributor and Army veteran Brett Velicovich, who enthusiastically supported Hegseth’s initiative.
“This is exactly why Secretary Hegseth was the right choice for the job,” Velicovich said. “He’s the disrupter needed in our outdated military industrial base… Finally, someone at the top is listening.”
Despite the media swirl, Trump remains firmly behind his defense chief and his high-drama approach to military modernization.