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A trio of cardinal Trump medication officials — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and White House property caput Karoline Leavitt — are successful the midst of facing their archetypal major foreign argumentation trial successful their high-profile admin roles aft Israel launched preemptive strikes connected Iran and President Donald Trump weighs involving the U.S. successful the conflict.
The trio ascended to their roles with wide fanfare among galore MAGA conservatives, though galore critics conscionable months agone questioned if their anterior careers prepared them for what was to come. The existent flaring tensions with the Islamic Republic could beryllium the last arbiter of which broadside was correct.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Fox News / The Will Cain Show)
"President Trump leads from the front, and helium has assembled a highly-qualified, world-class squad that has helped him execute galore overseas argumentation accomplishments this term," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox Digital connected Wednesday erstwhile asked astir the trio's trial connected Iran. "The American radical spot the President to marque the close decisions that support them safe, and helium has empowered his squad to conscionable the infinitesimal and beforehand his overseas argumentation goals."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Secretary Hegseth was 1 of Trump's much arguable nominees among critics, arsenic Democrat lawmakers and left-wing pundits slammed Hegseth arsenic unqualified for the job.
"This proceeding present seems to beryllium a proceeding astir whether oregon not women are qualified to service successful combat. And not astir whether oregon not you are qualified to beryllium caput of defense," Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth said during Hegseth's confirmation proceeding earlier the Senate Armed Services Committee successful January. "And fto maine conscionable accidental that the American radical request a caput of defence who’s acceptable to pb connected time one. You are not that person."
"Is Pete Hegseth genuinely the champion we person to offer?" asked Democrat Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, ranking subordinate of the committee.
President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)
Hegseth battled against claims helium would little erstwhile standards for the caput of Defense and that his vows to fortify the subject could beryllium bluster erstwhile helium was successful the relation and juggling oversight of the full military.
"As I’ve said to galore of you successful our backstage meetings, erstwhile President Trump chose maine for this position, the superior complaint helium gave maine was to bring the warrior civilization backmost to the Department of Defense," helium said successful his opening connection during his confirmation hearing. "He, similar me, wants a Pentagon laser focused connected warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness. That’s it. That is my job."
Hegseth was confirmed to the relation aft Vice President JD Vance issued a tie-breaking ballot erstwhile Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell joined Democrats successful voting against the confirmation.
Hegseth is an Ivy League postgraduate and erstwhile National Guard serviceman who was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay during his subject career, which began successful 2003. He is besides the recipient of a fistful of subject awards, including 2 Bronze Stars. He appeared earlier the Senate Armed Services Committee connected Wednesday and was pressed astir the Israel–Iran conflict.
"They should person made a deal," Hegseth said.
"President Trump’s connection means thing — the satellite understands that," Hegseth said, referring to Trump's repeated unit connected Iran to marque a woody with the U.S. connected its atomic programme arsenic the struggle spiraled.
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"And astatine the Defense Department, our occupation is to basal acceptable and prepared with options. And that’s precisely what we’re doing," Hegseth continued.
He did not uncover if the U.S. would assistance Israel successful the ongoing strikes connected Iran, but that the Pentagon is successful the midst of preparing options for Trump.
Any imaginable U.S. engagement successful the strikes could propulsion the state into warfare against Iran.
"I whitethorn bash it, I whitethorn not bash it," Trump said Wednesday connected whether helium would bid a onslaught connected Iran. "I mean, cipher knows what I'm going to do."
Hegseth was among high-profile Trump officials who joined Trump successful the White House's Situation Room arsenic the president and his squad intimately show the flaring conflict.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. (John McDonnell/The Associated Press)
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard
Director of National Intelligence Gabbard is different Trump authoritative who faced an aggravated confirmation proceeding arsenic critics argued she was unqualified for the role.
Gabbard is simply a erstwhile Democrat who served successful the U.S. House representing Hawaii from 2013 to 2021, a erstwhile subordinate of the House Armed Services Committee and an Iraq warfare veteran. However, she had ne'er held a ceremonial presumption wrong the quality assemblage earlier serving arsenic manager of nationalist intelligence.
Ahead of her confirmation, Gabbard's critics slammed her arsenic lacking the qualifications for the role, questioning her judgement implicit a 2017 gathering with then-Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, labeling her arsenic sympathetic toward Russia, and balking astatine her erstwhile favorable remarks related to erstwhile National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.
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"Those who reason my information connote that I americium loyal to thing oregon idiosyncratic different than God, my ain conscience and the Constitution of the United States," she said during her confirmation hearing. "Accusing maine of being Trump's puppet, Putin's puppet, Assad's puppet, a guru's puppet, Modi's puppet, not recognizing the absurdity of simultaneously being the puppet of 5 antithetic puppet masters."
She yet was confirmed successful a 52–48 vote.
Smoke rises from the gathering of Iran's state-run tv aft an Israeli onslaught successful Tehran, Iran, connected Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo)
Gabbard's March grounds earlier the Senate dismissing concerns Iran was actively gathering a atomic limb is backmost nether the nation's microscope aft Israel launched preemptive strikes connected Iran. Israel's strikes were successful nonstop effect to Israeli quality showing Iran could nutrient a atomic limb successful a abbreviated span of time.
Trump was asked astir Gabbard's grounds portion traveling backmost to Washington Monday evening from the G7 acme successful Canada, and the president said helium did not "care" what Gabbard had to accidental successful erstwhile testimony, arguing helium believes Iran is adjacent to gathering a nuke.
"You've ever said that you don't judge Iran should beryllium capable to person a atomic weapon," a newsman asked Trump portion aboard Air Force One connected Monday. "But however adjacent bash you personally deliberation that they were to getting one?"
"Very close," Trump responded.
"Because Tulsi Gabbard testified successful March that the quality assemblage said Iran wasn't gathering a atomic weapon," the newsman continued.
Trump changeable back, "I don't attraction what she said. I deliberation they were precise adjacent to having one."
When Gabbard appeared earlier the Senate Intelligence Committee successful March, she delivered a connection connected behalf of the quality assemblage that included grounds that Iran was not actively gathering a atomic weapon.
"Iran's cyber operations and capabilities besides contiguous a superior menace to U.S. networks and data," Gabbard told the committee connected March 26.
The quality assemblage "continues to measure that Iran is not gathering a atomic weapon, and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the atomic weapons programme that helium suspended successful 2003," she said. She did adhd that "Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is astatine its highest levels and is unprecedented for a authorities without atomic weapons."
"Iran volition apt proceed efforts to counter Israel and property for U.S. subject withdrawal from the portion by aiding, arming and helping to reconstitute its escaped consortium of like-minded violent actors, which it refers to arsenic its axis of resistance," she warned.
However, arsenic critics picked isolated Gabbard's past comments, the White House stressed that Gabbard and Trump are intimately aligned connected Iran.
A White House authoritative told Fox News Digital Tuesday day that Trump and Gabbard are intimately aligned and that the favoritism being raised betwixt Gabbard's March grounds and Trump's remarks that Iran is "very close" to getting a atomic limb is 1 without a difference.
The authoritative noted that Gabbard underscored successful her March grounds that Iran had the resources to perchance physique a atomic weapon. Her grounds successful March reflected quality she received that Iran was not gathering a limb astatine the clip but that the state could bash truthful based connected the resources it amassed for specified an endeavor.
White House property caput Karoline Leavitt. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
Leavitt is the youngest property caput successful U.S. history, assuming the relation astatine property 27.
Some wide critics, specified arsenic Joy Behar of "The View," attempted to discount her assignment erstwhile she was archetypal tapped by Trump, and she has since emerged arsenic a Trump medication firebrand during her regular White House property briefings.
Though Leavitt has overwhelmingly been praised by supporters of the president for her defence of the medication and repeated fiery exchanges with left-wing media outlets during briefings, her tenure has overwhelmingly focused connected home issues.
President Donald Trump is successful the midst of monitoring the flaring struggle betwixt Israel and Iran. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press )
Leavitt has kept the federation updated connected issues specified arsenic wide deportation efforts, Trump's ongoing database of enforcement orders affecting policies from transgender issues to electrical vehicles, nationalist tragedies specified arsenic the panic onslaught successful Boulder targeting Jewish Americans and Trump's wide-ranging tariff argumentation that affects overseas nations.
Though the medication entered bureau with a warfare raging betwixt Russia and Ukraine, arsenic good arsenic the ongoing warfare successful Israel aft Hamas attacked the state successful 2023, the Israel–Iran struggle provides Leavitt with her archetypal large planetary situation that could see U.S. involvement.
Leavitt's highly anticipated archetypal property briefing since Israel launched its preemptive strikes is scheduled for Thursday.
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