Pete Hegseth just shut down a reporter with a wild claim that Donald Trump isn’t Benjamin Netanyahu’s puppet, then doubled down with a bizarre defense that left the press room buzzing. The exchange happened at the Pentagon briefing on May 5, 2026, where Hegseth, the Secretary of War, cut off Zero Hedge White House correspondent Liam Cosgrove mid-question to insist Trump is the one calling the shots in the Iran war.
According to Mediaite, Cosgrove had just pointed out that Netanyahu and Israel’s Mossad chief have been vocal about their intent to keep fighting until the Iranian government collapses. That’s a pretty direct contradiction to Trump’s efforts to broker a ceasefire and push for lasting peace in the region.
