REPLAY: War Secretary Pete Hegseth Releases Statement Following Midterm Elections

As you know, ever since I walked up these very steps nearly two years ago, President Trump's War Department has never been afraid to lead the way. Just like the president, we don't back down, and that especially applies now. The next few months and years are critical for our department and our republic. This is about the president's America First agenda. This is about our department's Peace Through Strength agenda. And in just two short years, under the leadership of President Trump, we have restored the Department of War to its core function, warfighting. We ripped out DEI, fired failed leaders, restored deterrence all around the globe, revived recruiting to historic levels, and we are rebuilding our military and defense industrial base. Bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. But why do the Democrats and the deep state radicals really hate us? Because we tore down their sacred cows one by one and without apology. DEI is a Marxist ideology built to destroy us, so we crushed it. Diversity is not our strength, our unity is. Men and women, they're not the same thing, but in the military they must be held to the same standard. Strong young men who believe in something greater than themselves are admirable. Patriot extremism, it's not a thing. Patriots are now in control. Being trans is a mental illness incompatible with military service. Combating climate change is not a military objective. Military bases should not be renamed in the name of understanding white rage. The faith of our founding fathers, well that faith belongs inside our formations. Generals work for elected civilians, not for the Pentagon bureaucracy. The press is free in America, but not free to roam our classified spaces here at the Pentagon. Narco-terrorists should die, not be caught and released. Our allies should share the burden, not be burdens themselves. Sealing the border and mass deportations are military functions. And when we say that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, we actually mean it. And we will do the hard work to ensure it under the leadership of President Trump. You see, because regardless of how people feel about the war, Which I believe is a courageous and historic effort that will ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. We need to continue, as President Trump did in his first term, to rebuild our military. That requires funding. And the Department of War must be funded to meet the moment right now. That includes a generational investment, a reconciliation bill of at least $350 billion, to keep this department, our country, way ahead in a dangerous world. We need every vote from every patriotic member of Congress. You see, they attack me, they attack us because we are effective. It's not going to work. We will not back down. We put America and the warfighter first, always and without apology. And that fight continues in the lame duck Congress, especially our historic and vitally important budget. You see, Joe Biden and Lloyd Austin left our country and this department. In a terrible place. And we have had to fight every single day to restore it. We ended the weird and the woke and elevated patriots and strength. And we've done so, as I said, without hesitation. Peace through strength is once again American military policy. Our commander-in-chief demands it, and so we deliver it. This is not about me, but of course the other side, in case you've noticed, they're obsessed. A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly, just like they tried against President Trump twice. You see, their policies don't work, so their obsession with political theater, disguised as power, drives them to try to destroy their opponents. It's all about the politics of personal destruction. Didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me. You can rest assured of that. To the troops. Ignore the noise. Never hesitate. You see, all this is politics. You do real things. So stay the course. And as always, President Trump leads the way. In service of our nation, he has endured more than anyone can fathom. He literally took a bullet for this nation. He shook his fist and said, fight, fight, fight. And so will we. And I'll assure you, we have only just begun to fight. We are more determined than ever, more resolute than ever to finish what we have started. We will stand, we will fight, and we will defend this republic from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Godspeed and keep going.