Trump unlikely to dismiss Hegseth, but officials are troubled by disarray in Pentagon chief’s inner circle

A defiant Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth booked himself on the television network where he used to work as a host Tuesday morning in a bid to address the fallout over revelations that he discussed military plans in a second Signal group chat, this time with his wife and brother.

A defiant Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth booked himself on the television network where he used to work as a host Tuesday morning in a bid to address the fallout over revelations that he discussed military plans in a second Signal group chat, this time with his wife and brother. But after Hegseth faced multiple direct questions in the Fox News interview about his inner circle being in disarray, the appearance was seen by some officials as only calling more attention to the story rather than tamping down the coverage, according to two people familiar with how the interview was perceived within the administration. Yet President Donald Trump is unlikely to dismiss Hegseth and has spoken to him twice since The New York Times and CNN reported on the second Signal group on Sunday night. In their first call, Trump said he had Hegseth’s back and voiced frustration at “leakers” he said were trying to damage his administration, according to a person familiar with the conversation. Trump has since been soliciting feedback from people around him about Hegseth’s performance during conversations, according to two people familiar with the comments. So far, most, if not all, has been positive about the Pentagon chief. Trump is extremely hesitant to fire any Cabinet official at this point in his term, much less Hegseth, given how hard his team fought to get him confirmed in the first place. Yet the state of affairs in his inner circle has troubled some senior officials who want to see changes made to how the secretary’s team in the front office of the Pentagon operates. The chaos prevailing at the Pentagon has not been lost on the White House, where officials have watched with concern as Hegseth struggles to contain the dysfunction and as his inner circle implodes. Hegseth’s most trusted advisers are now his wife, his lawyer and his junior military aide, who may soon be appointed his new chief of staff, multiple people familiar with the matter said.