Pete Hegseth

I don't need it here.

I think that could change quicker than we think.

And I'm not saying people will rush to recruiting stations.

But if you bring in a commander in chief that the rank and file Americans respect—

And then you speak to their patriotism and their love of country.

And then you say, we've removed this person, this person, this person.

We're putting serious people in that have the best interest of the institution and of your son or daughter who's a war fighter in mind.

And then we're going to create commercials that make you actually feel like you're going to be a part of something real.

You fund it properly, do it properly.

I don't know.

I think you get rid of these recruiting shortfalls really fast.

Because it's a family business right now, and families are opting out.

I think what falling hard looks like, and I wish this in no way, and I hope it never happens, falling hard will be when the American people have this, we have this gigantic assumption about the capability of our military, and when we have a moment where it's laid bare before us, that it's become a hollow structure of itself.

Name your historical example, but somewhere around the globe where we are expected to overperform

where our military tragically underperforms.

And there's a collective sense that our collective defense is not what it was.

And people start looking around and asking why.

And then you start to address training for shortfalls and standard shortfalls and all the other ways in which we've lost our way.

I hope it doesn't, I mean, even then people might not recognize it.

But I actually think an institution, quote unquote, falling at this point, it feels really far off.