'AMATEUR HOUR': Trump looks foolish before the world with self-evident poor planning in Iran
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Why is Trump's war on Iran considered poorly planned?
Home to The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, The Briefing with Jen Psaki, and more voices you know and trust. MSNOW is your source for news, opinion, and the world. Learn more at ms.now. I have something to show you. And this something is something that the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, really, really does not want you to see. And it's probably not what you're thinking. I mean, it's not a top-secret war plan that Pete Hegseth accidentally posted in a signal chat, which there's still been no accountability for. It's not photos showing top Trump national security officials checking Twitter in the middle of a military operation. Those exist. It's not even this footage of Pete Hegseth ringing in the new year during his previous life as an anchor for Fox News, our Secretary of Defense, everyone.
There he is on your screen. Those things all exist, but it's not any of those things. Now the thing Pete Hexeth really does not want you to see is this photo. That one, right there, the one on your screen. Pete Hexeth at a Pentagon briefing furrowing his brow as he takes questions about Trump's war of choice in Iran.
What are the implications of civilian casualties in the Iran conflict?
And the reason I know that Pete Hegseth doesn't want you to see this photo is because the Washington Post is reporting that the Defense Department has now banned press photographers from the Pentagon briefing room over photos his staff have deemed unflattering. Now, that's according to two people familiar with the decision. Just to take a step back here, which is always necessary when you're talking about Pete Hegseth and really a lot of things in this administration. The United States is on the 12th day of a war with Iran. And with everything that the Secretary of Defense has on his plate right now, the thing he is focused on is whether or not press photographers are getting his good side, it seems.
The former Fox News weekend host apparently has very strong feelings about it. Now, this would be very weird, extremely self-involved behavior by a cabinet secretary from a far less important agency than the Department of Defense on a day with far less going on. But to perhaps state the obvious, there are a lot of other things Pete Hegseth should be worrying about right now. Because not only is this war about to enter its third week with no end in sight, but every single day we learn more about what a disastrous job the Trump administration has done in managing everything around this war. I mean, since day one of this war, Pete Hexeth has faced questions about a missile strike on a girls' elementary school in Iran, one that Iranian officials say killed at least 175 people, many of them children.
It was one of the worst cases of civilian casualties during a military operation the United States has been directly involved with in decades. And given the evidence of a Tomahawk missile being used, a weapon only a handful of countries have access to, it's been clear that the most likely scenario was that the United States was responsible. And each time Pete Hegseth has been asked about it, he responded with some form of, we're investigating it, and left it at that. Well, today the New York Times reported on the preliminary findings from that investigation, and they confirmed what we all suspected. The United States was at fault for that strike. And people briefed on the investigation, told the Times that the military relied on outdated targeting data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Those findings are preliminary, but they are shocking nonetheless, because while mistakes do happen in a war, there are serious questions about whether or not Pete Hegseth's leadership at the Pentagon and what he's done since he started leading the Pentagon may have made this kind of mistake far easier to make. And it's all rooted in how Pete Hegseth has implemented his new vision for America's military since the very moment he walked in the door, one that he likes to articulate with Dr. Seuss-style rhymes. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality, violent effect, not politically correct.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why is Trump's war on Iran considered poorly planned?
0:00–1:12
2
What are the implications of civilian casualties in the Iran conflict?
1:12–4:25
3
How is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership impacting military operations?
4:25–6:44
4
What is the significance of the U.S. military's investigation findings?
6:44–8:42
5
How are U.S. military veterans reacting to Trump's war decisions?
8:42–11:13
6
What are the consequences of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz?
11:13–12:47
7
How does Trump's approach to foreign policy affect global perceptions?
12:47–14:58
8
What insights do veterans provide about the current military actions?
14:58–43:33
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