Can Hegseth’s MAGA Playbook Protect Him Again? Signal Report and Boat-Strike Fallout Test His Strategy

Can Hegseth’s MAGA Playbook Protect Him Again?

Pete Hegseth has relied on a familiar, Trump-era survival strategy: attack critics, reshape the narrative and refuse to concede error. That approach helped him weather a contentious confirmation and a series of early controversies, and it has kept him aligned with the White House — until now.

Two Controversies Converge

This week, two separate controversies — the so-called "Signalgate" investigation into Hegseth's use of Signal messages and scrutiny of a Sept. 2 boat strike that reportedly struck survivors — came together on Capitol Hill. The Pentagon inspector general released findings that Hegseth's messages to a national security group could have risked endangering U.S. personnel, while senior commanders prepared to brief lawmakers about the boat-strike follow-up.

"There's only so many times that you can stand next to the president and label everything as fake news and deny everything. It's worn out," said a former senior Trump administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Administration Response

Rather than change course, Hegseth and his allies pushed back hard. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell publicly called the inspector general's report a "TOTAL exoneration" and declared the matter closed. Hegseth met with MAGA-friendly media figures at the Pentagon, attended the agency's first-ever Christmas tree lighting, and continued a public, combative posture toward critics.

Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) have defended Hegseth, with Mullin saying the secretary was within his authority to share operational details in the Signal chat that inadvertently included an Atlantic reporter. The White House has also sought to shift operational responsibility for the strikes to the senior officer who oversaw them, Adm. Frank Bradley.

Political And Institutional Pushback

Despite vocal defenses, Hegseth faces political headwinds. Senior Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees have pledged inquiries into the Sept. 2 strikes against suspected drug traffickers, and some Republicans have expressed unease about Hegseth's style. Critics say repeated denials and online trolling — including an image meme shared in defense of the boat operation — deepen doubts about his fitness for the Pentagon role.

Inside the Defense Department, some officials reacted angrily when Hegseth said he did not witness the follow-up strike on shipwrecked survivors and when leadership tried to place operational blame on Adm. Bradley. "Lots of eye-rolling," said one defense official. "It's despicable to blame Adm. Bradley for this."

When the Playbook Backfires

The Signalgate disclosures also produced unexpected consequences: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a retired Navy captain whom Hegseth once threatened with court martial, was among the first lawmakers to brief reporters on the inspector general's findings. That public airing has amplified calls for oversight even as Hegseth's supporters insist the matter is closed.

Reporting contributors: Leo Shane III and Daniella Cheslow.