The Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, rebuked Representative John Garamendi (D-CA) after he, like others, accused the Trump administration of trapping the United States in another forever war in the Middle East.
Hegseth blasted the congressman for making that claim only two months into a conflict where active combat is no longer occurring, and questioned his judgment and loyalties, as Democrats and others continue to fearmonger about U.S. involvement in Iran.
.@SecWar SLAMS @RepGaramendi: I watched you call this a "quagmire" on CNN this morning. My generation served in a quagmire in Iraq and Afghanistan. Years and years of nebulous missions and utopian nation building that led us to nothing. The way you stain the troops when you tell… https://t.co/ua58AphK0G pic.twitter.com/XbeD3kQUTf
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 29, 2026
"When I said reckless, feckless, and defeatist of congressional Democrats at the beginning, that came after watching you say the same thing on CNN this morning, a quagmire," Hegseth told Rep. Garamendi. "My generation served in a quagmire, in Iraq and Afghanistan, years and years of nebulous missions and utopian nation building that led us to nothing. What we have right now, the way you stain the troops when you tell them two months in, two months in, congressman, you should know better."
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"Shame on you. Calling this a quagmire two months in," he continued. "The effort, what they've undertaken, what they've succeeded, the success on the battlefield that could create strategic opportunities, the courage of a president to confront a nuclear Iran, and you call it a quagmire, handing propaganda to our enemies? Shame on you for that statement. And statements like that are reckless to our troops. Don't say I support the troops on one hand, and then a two-month mission is a quagmire. That's a false equivalent."
"Who are you cheering for here? Who are you pulling for?" the Secretary of War asked. "Our troops are doing incredible work. They've done incredible things for the entirety of this mission and achieved incredible battlefield successes. And you sit there and go on TV for your clickbait about quagmires. It undermines the mission. Your hatred for President Trump blinds you to the truth of the success of this mission and the historic stakes that the president is addressing, which the American people support."
On Wednesday morning, Rep. Garamendi accused the Trump administration of trapping Americans in yet another endless war, a familiar refrain that critics say has little bearing on the current situation in Iran and has been consistently used to stoke fears about military action in the Middle East.
The comments highlighted the Secretary of War’s opening remarks during Wednesday’s hearing, where he accused Democrats of being the primary threat to the United States amid the Iran war.
Trump and Hegseth have been misleading the American people about the war in Iran from the very beginning.
— John Garamendi (@RepGaramendi) April 29, 2026
Now we’re trapped in yet another endless war.
Thank you, Mr. President and Mr. Secretary. This is the mess you’ve created for the American people. pic.twitter.com/kkncNgV64I
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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