Megyn Kelly: "Pete Hegseth is not a neocon"

"He was on Tucker’s podcast last night with his first comments since he was fired. In that conversation, Caldwell suggests that he was forced out of the Pentagon—not because he leaked anything to any member of the press, which he denies—but because he is anti-war with Iran due to his experiences in Iraq. That really started pushing me toward where I am now in foreign policy, like we need to do something differently, and in a way, it radicalized me on this.

And there's really an argument that, when you're talking about foreign policy, you need to be cold and detached. Some people say realists need to be cold and detached. I don't necessarily believe that.

But you know, when I hear about launching a new military operation, when someone talks about something, my first thought is: What’s it going to be like for the guys? What’s it going to be like for the boys who’ll be on the front lines? Now, the suggestion implies that Secretary Hegseth, or those who suggested to Hegseth that Caldwell be fired, think differently from Caldwell in that regard.

Although I can tell you from many conversations with Pete over the past six months, he is far from a neocon. We've talked about all of this. He was much more pro-war, as much of the Republican Party was during the Bush years—he signed up. He left Princeton to go fight. I mean, he had that mindset, like many of us did after 9/11. That’s why he volunteered and fought in Gitmo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. But he’s had a serious change of heart thanks to those experiences. Just like Caldwell, Pete is not a neocon."

Dan Caldwell, senior advisor to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, was dismissed from the Pentagon on April 15, 2025, amid an investigation into leaks of sensitive information. Although authorities cited “unauthorized disclosure” as the official reason, Caldwell maintains that his dismissal was politically motivated due to his opposition to a potential war with Iran, shaped by his experiences in Iraq.

Caldwell, along with two other senior officials, was escorted out of the Pentagon after being linked to a private chat on the Signal app, where military plans were discussed, including potential strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. This chat, dubbed “SignalGate,” included top national security officials and, by mistake, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg.