Professor and former United States Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has sharply criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In an opinion piece on his Substack account, the 79-year-old called Hegseth’s recent press briefing remarks “remarkably stupid” on multiple levels.
During the briefing, Hegseth dismissed a report by CNN about Iran’s ability to disrupt global oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as “patently ridiculous”. He claimed that there was no need to worry about the situation. However, Reich took issue with how Hegseth dismissed the crisis.
JUST IN: Pete Hegseth is bragging that Larry Ellison is about to seize CNN.
Boasting that the moment this happens, the network will finally be whipped into line. pic.twitter.com/aICNZxCcd0
— Parody Jeff (@Parodyjeffx) March 13, 2026
Reich then proceeded to argue that Hegseth’s response ignored serious warnings backed by multiple credible sources. CNN was not alone in reporting the possible threat. The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal also published similar findings and claimed President Donald Trump and his team have underestimated Iran’s potential response.
Reich stated that by dismissing such widely supported claims, Hegseth made his comments look uninformed and careless. “Hegseth’s comment that we ‘don’t need to worry about’ the blockage of the strait is not only false but flippantly insulting to an American public,” the 79-year-old said.
“[The public] deserves to know what the Trump regime is planning to do about soaring prices at the gas pump, directly due to that blockage,” Reich claimed, adding, “Even if Hegseth believes that David Ellison’s ownership of CNN will silence CNN’s critical coverage of Trump, it’s remarkably stupid of Hegseth to say it out loud.”
During the briefing, Hegseth had said, “the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better,” referring to CNN. Pointing to Hegseth’s comment, Reich claimed that this acts as an “open admission” of how political leaders control the media to reduce criticism.
Further, looking at the issue of civilian deaths, Reich disagreed with Hegseth’s claim that the U.S. was not responsible for killing nearly 200 schoolchildren in Iran. He said that there is evidence suggesting otherwise, and explained how denying the facts often damages credibility.
Reporter: Can you please provide some guidance about the strike on the girl’s school? There has been reporting that indicates that preliminary inquiry has determined that the airstrike was carried out by the US.
Hegseth: We’re not going to let reporting lead us or force our… pic.twitter.com/Mt7ocrwFi7
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 13, 2026
“Hegseth’s further insistence that the U.S. ‘never targets civilians; is refuted by the U.S. military’s killing of at least 157 people on 40 small boats in the Caribbean without evidence they were ‘narco-terrorists’ rather than civilians,” Reich added.
Reich called out the defense secretary’s overall approach to his role. He said, “Pete Hegseth’s job is so far over his head that he can’t even see it. He evidently believes it’s to cheerlead and defend Trump with bonkers claims like ‘We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump we’re finishing it’.”
Reich summed up his opinion piece by stating that Hegseth’s remarks show how he lacks a proper understanding of responsibilities and his position.
