'He's deranged': Hegseth at risk of impeachment

We know or we are assured that talks are taking place, not at the highest level, but certainly substantial talks are taking place around the ending of this war with Iranian officials and American officials. Thank It's interesting, isn't it, the completely different views that people have on this war. We know the damage it's caused physically in Iran. you Thank you, Jan. The reciprocal attacks have caused very in other parts of the Middle East as well. We know about that dreadful bombing of the school and all the children who died in that school. much. Thank And we know about the economic, we literally, ourselves living here all this far away, know about the economic impact of that war. So it is a war that's very easy. Under Keir Starmer said, no, thank you. No, we will not take part in that war. We now have a different kind of accommodation you. with them on defensive matters, but not quite the same as taking part in the war. Well, actually, not the same as taking part in the war. Thank you. But Donald Trump, for now, saying he doesn't intend to resume it. But there are people who think he should resume those attacks. Not least some of you who call in, particularly people with connections to Iran, people from Iran now living here, having fled Iran because of the regime there. Some of you decades ago when the revolution first happened. Thank So the question as to whether Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are right to say they would do it again. I think they both believe it, by the way. I don't think they're saying that just to support something that they now regret. Are they right to say they would do it again? you. That the price that we are paying is a small price to remind Iran that it will not be tolerated if it moves towards nuclear weaponry? Is America right? Bring Israel into that equation as well? Many people in Israel would support another strike on Iran. Another war on Iran that's caused already great strategic strength for Israel. You know, that's a whole complex story as to what's happened to public opinion about Israel over the last three years or so. But inside Israel, it's a different story. There is there is plenty of support for more action against Iran for the obvious reason that Iran constantly says it wants to obliterate Israel from the map or Israelis from the map. Um, can Donald Trump, should Donald Trump continue to stand by both Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, and stand by his own and Hegseth's statement that the war in Iran is a just war, is the right way to go, and they would do it again? 0345 6060 973, the number to call. You can text 84850. Really keen to hear from you if you are Iranian or you know Iran. Because I know I've had calls from people who've travelled in Iran long before it was very dangerous to do so. Beautiful country, I'm told. Obviously, it has an enormous, deep cultural history, you know, beyond the last 40 years of this Islamist regime that runs it now, a theocracy that runs it. But do you believe that Donald Trump and Hegseth are right to say we would do it again? We would do it again because it's far from over. It's not over for us yet, is it? And the threat from Iran is probably greater now because of it, I would imagine. You know, we had that warning from the head of MI5, talked about Russia still being enemy number one, but Iran not far behind it. Thank Are we, is the world, is Donald Trump right? Was he right to take them on in the way that he did? you I mean, we saw that Barack Obama and Joe Biden, beyond that, took a very different approach, didn't they, this deal? very Thank This deal that said no nuclear, no levels of enrichment of uranium that could lead to nuclear weapons. much. But Donald Trump perhaps characteristically took a more direct approach. The world was rather different at the time, wasn't it, than it was during Obama's years? you. You know, we'd had. Iran sending missiles over to Israel, Israel retaliating, Britain retaliating, Jordan and France supporting, as I remember, as well as America and Britain supporting Israel when that sort of avalanche of missiles headed across. It's an incredibly hot situation in the Middle East, isn't it? We know that and we feel it and we're experiencing it as well. But I wonder whether You think Donald Trump is right to dig his heels in on two things. The war in Iran, he says he'd do it again. And the whole question of whether he should stand by Pete Hegseth. Interesting to hear Lewis say he'd drop him like a stone because he's, I suppose, keeping that heat on the president. The president is so unpredictable, though, because he has. I mean, he's predictably unpredictable, isn't he? He said today or overnight he won't launch any more, is unlikely to launch any more attacks on Iran. That could just be talk. We just don't know. I just don't really know whether he will or he won't. But what do you think he should do? Should he get rid of Hegseth? And should he accept that only... talks can end this war in Iran and get some kind of normality on the Strait of Hormuz. Although whether that will ever be the same kind of normality that existed before is anybody's guess. I doubt very much that it will be or could be. I mean, Iran always knew it could use it as a weapon. And it was very badly tested, wasn't it, by that attack, those attacks by America and Israel. And it proved that it could use it as a weapon. To great effect. So it's likely to use it again. Thank you again. All experts say Iran were nowhere near a nuclear weapon. And since when does the USA work for the benefit of Israel and detriment of the rest of the world? Asks Rick. Another one here. You know, the rest of your audience does what our former ambassador to Iran explained to you about the illegality of this war. A few of you have been sending me limericks, which I'll get to later, but I want to focus on this first. Starmer and Burnham have allowed the Americans to launch bombs and missiles on Iran from UK bases, flights taking off from those bases. Yeah, but my understanding is that the arrangement that we have, you might not believe it's what actually happens on the ground, but my understanding is the arrangement that we have is for the bases to be used here. For defensive missions, not for attacking missions. That's my understanding of the UK policy on this war. Sean's call from Froome in Somerset. Hello, Sean. Hi, Sheena. How are you doing? I'm fine. You think Trump will ditch Hegseth? I do. Yeah, I don't think he's going to stick by him. I think he'll make the right noises for the moment. But then as we get nearer to the point, as Lewis was saying just now, we get nearer to the point of a new Congress. I think he'll... Moving somewhere else. It won't be framed as him sacking him. It'll be framed as, oh, we think Pete's done a great job, but we'd like him now to move his efforts onto another area of government and he'll shift him sideways. I think that's what's coming. But what I'm really irate about at the moment is both of them, both Trump and Hegseth, have spent the last two days trying to reframe this as a war that's... started 47 years ago, which we all know in the intervening period, there was the JCPOA, which was agreed by the Europeans and Obama, which got the IAEA in to monitor nuclear stocks. And we'd had to stop to all this. So this didn't start 47 years ago. This was effectively contrived in Trump's head when he was in opposition, if you like. Well, Iran's Iran's Constant antipathy and threat to Israel predates that, doesn't it, of course. But this war, you're right, is post-JCPOA, isn't it? Yeah, I don't, I have no sympathy for the Iranians, not the Iranian people, but the Iranian regime. In fact, I think they're disgusting. But the other thing that has really upset me about this is we, Trump gave this call to arms effectively to these young students. Help is coming. And now there's nothing. It reminds me a bit of Bush Senior with the Marsh Arabs when they invaded Kuwait. The help was coming down and yet we let them be slaughtered by Saddam or the West let them be slaughtered by Saddam. And that's exactly what's happening now. All these poor young kids who are being hung and executed and shot on the streets. There's no help coming. That's all. That was all said in the heat of the moment with no forethought as to what was going to happen. Remind me, didn't the protests were already happening and the arrests were already happening and the shootings in the streets during those protests were already happening before America? They were. They happened after the last election, if I remember rightly, in Iran, when the progressive guy... But anyone protesting is now regarded as pro-American, I guess. Yeah, didn't get elected. But they certainly increased in numbers. When he said, get out there and the help is on its way and we'll be there to save you. And, you know, he just turned his back on them, didn't he, really, and left. And, you know, the school as well, as you quite rightly point out. Horrible. And it seems as though, I haven't read enough yet to know for sure, but it seems as though that was a drone that didn't have a... Or, you know, a drone operating missiles that didn't have a human eye behind it. That's frightening. Oh, crikey. So an AI doing its own thing. Yeah, that's terrible. I think that was reported in Bloomberg, if I'm not mistaken. Could have been Reuters, I'll double check. But yeah, it's horrific if so. Ian has called from Surbiton. Do you think Donald Trump will drop him one way or another? Good afternoon, Sheila. Well, I've done a very dangerous thing here. I'm tying the rope around myself. I'm going to get into Donald Trump's mind for a second. Okay. Right. Brave man. I know. Look after me, Sheila. This could be a dark time. Go on. I think that Donald Trump, he's already said that he's not going to fund Israel by the end of the year. Yeah, $4 billion a year. I think I agree with Lewis that he's going to move before the new Congress comes into play. So the only thing he can do is he can wait until the Israelis decide which government they're going to have. And then he's going to be a new prime minister, so no more Netanyahu. And then he could say, oh, I don't need Pete anymore because I'm going to work with the new guys and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And Hex is just going to be moved slightly out of the way into another position, not to upset him too much. And he'll work with the new guy with Israel. And it's as simple as that. That Trump will work with the new guy. Well, of course, he'll appoint him and he'll work with the new Israeli prime minister. He'll sort of use Netanyahu not being there as the excuse to move Hesket. Well, it will be interesting to see if there is a new prime minister, because we don't really have one yet, do we? No. It's still, I mean, the parliament, I think the Israeli parliament is attempting to reassemble today, if I'm not mistaken. But there's still a battle royal happening as to who can. Well, once the president decides, once they've convinced him the new guy can form a government. But he hasn't yet. He'll be appointed prime minister. No, not yet. Oh, he will be. He will be if he manages that. But I think Trump will wait until then. It gives him enough breathing space. And do what? Then get rid of? Then get rid of Hesketh. He won't do it now because it'll look bad. He'll never know Hesketh. He might start bad-mouthing Trump. It's possible. Hags as well. Yeah, it's possible. Well, he certainly lent on his every word in that press conference, didn't he? Well, he does that with lots of people. But, say, he can't get rid of Vance, and he won't get rid of Rubio, because Rubio is even more dangerous to Vance in the next presidential, I would think. So that just leaves Hesketh to move slightly out of the way, but not sort of savagely attack him. I'm using... Working with a new Prime Minister of Israel and Hesketh will go on to do this, this and this. And you just appoint a new guy and that'll be it. Ah, a guy or gal, who knows? A new guy or gal. A guy or gal, yeah. There's plenty of women out there who could do that job. Yeah, but it's interesting that you bring in the Israeli situation because it's not a straightforward matter for Gadi Eisenkot, is it, to form that government? No, I mean, he's got the Arab vote. Well, there is an Arab vote. Whether he wants to use it or not is questionable. But Netanyahu has already been out there saying, you know, This is a man who, about Eisenkopf, this is a man who's clearly prepared to work with your enemies. That's essentially how he's framing that. Yeah, it gives Trump loads of latitude. Whatever happens in Israel, he can move and he can use it. Well, we'll see. We'll see whether that's at the front and centre of his thinking. Thank you very much, Ian, for your call, Ian in Surbiton. Sharon in Westport. My opinion on these two is that it is pointless and in fact wrong to try imputing One iota of morality, integrity, strategy or anything else other than short-term self-interest to Trump in particular, Texas is, he's another thing entirely, isn't he? He's a sort of deranged, evil madman who shouldn't be anywhere near a position of power. I just, excuse me, coughing and laughing. I think he's, Hegseth is a weird one, isn't he? He's, I think he is deranged. The way he spoke about when he gave those daily press conferences about the war, you know, war is a serious business and he was loving it. Yeah. And this is, this is not a, well, it is a serious war. It's a serious war for the people who've all, who've all, who've all died in it, but it's entirely a war of self-interest. Again, it's a transactional war in which countless people, including those little girls in the primary school, little children, have died and have lost their lives. So you think it's entirely self-interest? You don't think it was driven at all by a desire to stymie Iran? Only possibly because I also think that as well. As well as his sort of ultimate puppet master, Putin, I do think Netanyahu has something on Trump. Well, I think, I'm not sure he has something on him. I think Netanyahu sees the type of president, the type of man who is president at the moment of the United States compared to the previous two, for sure. Thank you all. And I think, well, including if you exempt the first term of Donald Trump. I'm not sure whether he's got anything on him the way I do think that Putin has. But yeah, Tom, a call from Manchester. Hello, Tom. Hi, good afternoon. Yeah, I couldn't agree more with your last caller. I think it is all based on whether Trump can strike a deal and whether he can make himself more money. I think it's all part of his own interest. A deal with the Iranians, you mean? I'm not buying this whole Iran rhetoric at all. I feel sorry for the Iranians in a sense. Thank you. I mean, America and Israel, war criminal Netanyahu, are both guilty for... What are you not buying about the Iranian regime, just to be clear, not the people? The threats, I mean, the supposed attack... But they're explicit, Tom, the threats. So you mean nuclear threats? Yeah, I don't believe the nuclear story one bit. Yeah, I don't think they have got nuclear capabilities. I'm I mean, Israel do, and they don't declare it. They're on the world stage. starting They're the only members. They're not on the list. But they do have, talking about Iran now, they do have nuclear... to Capabilities, just they say, not weapons-grade nuclear capabilities. speak So who is it for America to decide that there shouldn't be a nuclear, now. to have nuclear energy? Well, they're not saying they can't have nuclear energy. They're saying they can't have uranium enriched to the level that it takes to make military equipment of a nuclear nature. So they can have nuclear power. They had investigators on the ground and there was no evidence yet that we've seen to suggest that they were having weapons. No, you're right. That's the position of the nuclear inspectors. Yeah. So, I mean, what, you know, I think it's just whether or not Trump can strike a deal and make some money. You know, I think it's all about oil and money and greed. But, yeah, I'm not buying this whole, that supposed attack on UK soil was blamed on Iran. And I don't think it was Iran at all. Which one are you talking about? The, gosh, it's gone back a while now. There's that many things cropping up every week, isn't there? The one on... Was there the soldiers who, you know, these trucks that were approaching the... Oh, approaching the airbase, yeah. Yes, I don't think Iran were behind that one. I'm not sure either you or I can say it was or it wasn't, can we? I mean, we also can't continue talking about it because there are court cases taking place about that particular issue, Tom. We can carry on our conversation, but I don't think we can say... I just think Iran are getting the blame for everything these days. But do you recognise it as a threat at all, Tom? Because it is one. You know, so far as I've made out, you know, from, you know, the independent, you know, news outlets, you know, I've researched on, Iran seek peace just as much as Palestine do, you know, and the Muslim population. I don't think they are as much of a threat as the Western media make out. Iran seek which? I'm not sure about the independence of all of those publications if they're telling you that Iran seeks peace in the Middle East. Well, you know, they've always had... They give as much as they get to America, you know, and rightly so. You know, they're getting, you know, bombs and blisterings and whatnot. You know, why shouldn't they stand up for themselves and close the Strait of Hormuz and things if Trump's, you know, throwing his weight about? All right. Thanks very much, Tom. Tom in Manchester. Yeah, I'd broaden your reading a little bit about that particular part of the world, Tom, if I were you, if that's what you've come up with. But thank you for your call. Just to let you know, I mean, the response to mine and Lewis's limericks. Earlier on, I know it's a very different question, but they've been so good and so funny. And I'll read, I'll certainly read one out and perhaps speak to one of the authors of one that's very, very good. If you weren't listening earlier on, we were talking about Thomas Massie, the man who's trying to impeach Pete Hegseth, which has prompted our conversation about the war in Iran in the first place. And you've been telling me whether you think... That Donald Trump should, as he said he's going to, stand by Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of State for Defence, as it used to be known, that job title, because he, Hegseth, is the man they're coming after to impeach over the US war in Iran, which they say is illegal. Pete Hegseth, for his part, and his supporters, have struck back and said, including the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and have said it is sabotage, not patriotism. To to call for impeachment. I mean, the one area where Hegseth was right in that press conference earlier on today was when he said America's enemies and he listed two of them, Iran, the cartels, the drug cartels. Thank We'll be watching on with pleasure as this attempt to impeach Hegseth happens or to impeach who he calls the warriors in the US you fighting the war in Iran. And both he, Hegseth and Donald Trump very have said they would make the same decision again. I wonder how long that cohesion between the two men can continue. much. We'll find out, I'm sure, in the next few weeks and months. Funny thing now that they're coming up with impeachment, says this text, they should impeach Trump rather than Pete Hegseth because he started the war. I think it's also worth saying, isn't it, that. In the immediate aftermath of those big midterm defeats for the Republicans, for Trump, basically for the Trump presidency, even those amongst the Dems who would like to see some kind of sanctions on Trump's administration were conscious of the fact that they also have to serve. The American people, and they have to serve their day-to-day needs as well, not just any sense of punishment or even vengeance they might have towards Donald Trump.