Trump Can't Fire Hegseth — His Pentagon Purges Are Now His Shield

Pete Hegseth's sweeping personnel purges at the Pentagon have paradoxically made it nearly impossible for Donald Trump to remove him as Defense Secretary, according to an analysis. Firing Hegseth now would carry enormous reputational costs for the president. The piece also notes that Hegseth, a vocal advocate for confronting Iran, is unable to bring the conflict with Iran to a close.