Pete Hegseth’s macho act is backfiring

As the U.S. military escalates tensions with Iran, the stakes on the world stage couldn’t be higher. But back home, defense secretary Pete Hegseth is preoccupied with something else entirely: his image in the mirror. Reports that photographers were removed from the Pentagon for taking “unflattering” pics raise serious questions about his priorities. In this episode of Standing Room Only, I break down how Pete's macho, ego-driven approach is backfiring in real time and explain the real consequences for the rest of us. My guest this week is Heather Digby Parton, contributing writer at Salon. Find her Salon writing here: https://www.salon.com/writer/heather_digby_parton Subscribe here on YouTube for more Standing Room Only, airing weekly Thursdays at 5 PM ET on YouTube. 🥳 Standing Room Only started as a newsletter. Join the party and get it in your inbox 2x a week by clicking here: https://www.salon.com/newsletter 🤓 Read Amanda Marcotte's writing on Salon.com here: https://www.salon.com/writer/amanda_marcotte 👍 Follow Amanda on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/amandamarcotte.bsky.social ✌️ Support Salon’s mission—become a member: https://www.salon.com/premium?utm_source=youtube-sro&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=become-a-member-ytsro 🎵 Like our Encore segment? Follow the Standing Room Only Playlist on Spotify to hear the full songs and more recommendations from Amanda: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5xGJv3dQ8BPbO2gMw53dvB Pete Hegseth commentary, strongman politics, performative masculinity, MAGA men, political commentary, Heather Digby Parton, Digby Salon, Salon.com, Amanda Marcotte