When Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon Tenure Started Going Sideways

“Up until then, DOD had been the golden child,” one person familiar with Hegseth’s office told us. When Hegseth visited the White House the next day to debut the Air Force’s newest fighter jet, Trump again conveyed his displeasure. The president did not express anger toward Hegseth personally, White House officials told us. White House officials say that Trump continues to support Hegseth—the defense chief’s job is “100 percent safe,” one told us. Trump personally blocked Buria from the chief-of-staff job because of his ties to Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden’s Pentagon chief, White House officials told us.