During other briefings, he has compared the media to the Pharisees, “the so-called and self-appointed elites of their time,” and he alleged in another briefing that the media makes the deaths of American service members “front-page news” to “make the president look bad.”

‘Results speak for themselves’

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the Washington Examiner: “Secretary Hegseth is doing an incredible job leading the Pentagon, and his results speak for themselves. Operation Epic Fury totally dismantled Iran’s ballistic missiles, production facilities, and navy. Now, the military blockade of Iranian ports is crippling the regime’s economy, and Project Freedom is ensuring the freedom of navigation for commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Thanks to the Secretary’s leadership, are [sic] warfighters are prioritized, and our country has restored its standing as the strongest in the world.”

The U.S. military recently began Operation Freedom, in which it helps guide commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, and it has come under Iranian attack multiple times in the first two days of the effort. Hegseth maintained on Tuesday that the ceasefire is still in place.

“No, the ceasefire is not over,” Hegseth said during his latest Pentagon briefing. “Ultimately, this is a separate and distinct project, and we expected there would be some … churn at the beginning, which happened, and we said we would defend and defend aggressively, and we absolutely have.”

In a rare moment of levity, when Hegseth and Caine were asked about reports of “kamikaze dolphins,” the secretary quipped: “I can’t confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don’t.”

Following the briefing, former Trump administration official Richard Grenell said: “The legacy media will never admit it but [Hegseth] is clear, compassionate and incredibly prepared.”

Later in the day, Hegseth was back in front of the cameras in the Oval Office, participating with a group of children during Trump’s signing of a memo to restore the Presidential Fitness Test. When prompted by the president, Hegseth said, “I wanted to be the best, and I wasn’t, but I worked my tail off every year to try to get there. Pull-ups, push-ups, I couldn’t do the V-sit, and reach. I could never beat that one.”

Hegseth outlasts the on his way out ‘hype’

In recent weeks, Trump has removed three Cabinet officials, the first departures of his second administration. It was Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem first, then Attorney General Pam Bondi, and most recently Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. There had been speculation that Hegseth could have been one of the first secretaries to depart, but that speculation has largely subsided.

UNDERSTANDING THE PENTAGON’S PUSH TO BECOME AN ‘AI-FIRST FIGHTING FORCE’

“I’ve never bought the Hegseth is on his way out hype,” a former senior White House official told the Washington Examiner. “There’s a difference between people who have haters and people that the president doesn’t like.”

The former official noted that Noem “f***ed up with” her controversial, expensive ad campaign and her adviser Corey Lewandowski’s actions “can’t help” because “the thing that upsets [Trump] the most [is the] perception that someone is profiting off him.”

Another former White House official told the Washington Examiner: “It just doesn’t seem like the president is ready to get rid of Pete.”

On top of that, Hegseth has moved to strengthen his hold on the Pentagon by removing senior personnel. He recently fired Navy Secretary John Phelan, who became the first Trump-appointed service secretary to leave their position, and Army chief of staff Gen. Randy George. Hegseth declined to explain when questioned by lawmakers last week why he pushed for George’s retirement, though he said his goal is “to change the culture of the department, and it’s ultimately challenging to change the department, the culture of a department with the same people who are a part of or in that department.” On top of that, he is reportedly at loggerheads with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

HEGSETH: REPLACING MUNITION STOCKPILES USED IN IRAN WAR WILL TAKE MONTHS OR YEARS

A couple of months after his bruising confirmation battle in which he was asked difficult questions about an alleged sexual assault, infidelity, and his alcohol consumption, he shared details of impending military operations on Signal in two group chats, one of which included senior administration officials and a journalist, unknowingly.

A subsequent investigation from the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General found that he “created a risk to operational security” by divulging those details in an unclassified group chat. But it was former national security adviser (and now United Nations ambassador) Michael Waltz who ultimately fell on his sword for the Signal fiasco.

Shortly after the Atlantic published the group chat messages, Hegseth fired multiple aides accused of leaking information to the press, though the allegations were not substantiated publicly, further destabilizing the early part of his tenure.

He has, for his part, prioritized removing Biden-era diversity and inclusion initiatives and defending the homeland.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Washington Examiner in a statement provided for this story: “Secretary Hegseth is completely focused on executing President Trump’s America First agenda without hesitation at the Pentagon. From day one, he has moved decisively to restore the warrior ethos, remove DEI ideology from the military, and refocus the force on lethality and combat readiness. His leadership has delivered record recruitment numbers across all services, overhauled wasteful bureaucracy, streamlined acquisition processes, and strengthened the defense industrial base.”

Christian Datoc contributed to this report.