No one is safe in President Donald Trump’s orbit, and that’s the risk people serving in his administration take when they sign on with him.
In the latest twist in Defense Chief Pete Hegseth’s ongoing purge of top military brass, Trump turned on the former Fox News host. He reportedly told Sen. Joni Ernst that Hegseth is to blame for the termination of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April.
George’s departure has left the largest U.S. military service without a leader during Trump’s war in the Middle East and Russia’s increasing aggression in its years-long war on Ukraine.
The New York Times, in a report on August 25, described a call between the Iowa Republican and Trump. Ernst called to complain about the firing of fellow Iowan George, telling Trump he was a top officer and one of the Army’s most qualified leaders.
The Times also reported she told Trump George’s parents had voted for him.
But it’s Trump’s response to Ernst that says it all. The president told Ernst that Hegseth was entirely to blame for asking George to leave.
“Tell the general I’m sorry,” the news outlet reported Trump said, in an eye-popping apology, something Trump never does.
The Times also said Ernst believed Hegseth had assured her George would be able to finish out his term, which would have ended mid-2027.
Now there’s reportedly not enough Senate support, including Ernst, to confirm Hegseth’s replacement nominee, Vice Chief of Staff and acting Army Chief Christopher LaNeve.
Social media erupted in a frenzy of contempt and disgust over Hegseth’s amateurish and dangerous Defense Department purge.
“Hegseth is running the US military like he’s a wee kid playing with his box of soldiers! Every loss of an experienced senior officer makes America weaker!” a Threads user stated above a photo of Hegseth.
On the photo in big, bold letters: “WHEN CENTRAL CASTING SENDS YOU A FAILED TV PRESENTER BY MISTAKE.”
Another agreed, posting just three words, “The enemy within.”
X commenters chimed in, “Confirmed – Trump is an old fool not in control of his cabinet.”
This poster added, “Very scary. Hegseth is running Trump!”
It’s still unclear why Hegseth so abruptly dismissed George, but another report, this one from The Washington Post, says it had to do with an unapproved military fly-by in late March.
The Post reported that days before George’s firing, LaNeve urged him to drop an investigation into an “unauthorized helicopter flyby of musician Kid Rock’s Tennessee estate.” The paper cited three people familiar with the incident.
The report said George essentially ignored the advice, insisting “it was important to follow typical protocol and determine whether the March 28 flyby violated any safety regulations.”
LaNeve, Hegseth’s former senior military aide, reportedly told George that Hegseth was demanding an end to the investigation.
The Army shake-up doesn’t end with George. The Wall Street Journal reported Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is also planning to leave, possibly before the end of the year, amid tensions with Hegseth.
The Times says Driscoll has already moved his family out of military housing and is “barely on speaking terms” with Hegseth.
Another report this spring described Hegseth as increasingly paranoid that Driscoll, who is well-liked by Trump, could push him out.
As for Four-Star Gen. Randy George, who is now retired, he’s a West Point graduate and career infantry officer. After decades of service, George worked as a senior military assistant to Defense Chief Lloyd Austin under the Biden administration
Former President Joe Biden nominated George for Army Chief of Staff, and he served in the position for three years until Hegseth fired him. Army Chiefs of Staff usually serve four-year terms, according to CBS News.