John Oliver devoted the main segment of Sunday’s Last Week Tonight to a lengthy examination of Pete Hegseth’s record as Secretary of Defense, arguing that his command has caused serious damage to the U.S. military and resulted in devastating consequences for people overseas.
Oliver noted the results of Tuesday’s massive midterm wipeout. Then he turned his attention to Hegseth. With the Pentagon overseeing a budget over $1 trillion and employing approximately 3.4 million people, Oliver questioned whether Hegseth was equipped to lead such an enormous organization.
He also mocked Hegseth’s habit of posting videos of himself working out alongside military personnel, as the former Fox News personality tries to appear as one of the boys. Oliver contrasted the carefully staged appearances with the much more serious responsibilities of his position.
The comedian then walked viewers through what he described as a long list of warning signs throughout Hegseth’s career, including controversies from his time at Fox News and his troubled history before joining the Trump administration.
Oliver also examined Hegseth’s decisions at the Pentagon, particularly his removal of senior military officials and changes to policies intended to protect civilians during military operations.
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