Trump told Ufoq News about “impeaching” Hegseth: He won two wars...and what about those who ran the Iraq and Afghanistan wars?

US President Donald Trump announced, on Monday, that he would stand by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if he was subjected to impeachment proceedings, describing Republican Representative Thomas Massie - who presented articles of impeachment - as “a loser in every sense of the word.” “Yes, I will stand by him,” Trump told Ofoq News network correspondent Kaitlan Collins during a press conference at the White House. Speaking about the Republican representative from Kentucky - who lost in the primary elections to a Trump-backed competitor earlier this year, he added: “Massie carries a lot of hatred in his heart. I don’t want to waste my time watching him. We have won two wars, and made the world a much safer place, and then we are supposed to face impeachment measures?”

Massey's filing of the articles of impeachment means that a vote will have to be held on Wednesday. Hegseth downplayed the attempt to impeach him, stressing his agreement with Trump that he would “do it again” regarding waging war against Iran. The US President also renewed his praise of his defense minister, saying that he “did a very good job.”

He continued: “I say this: Pete Hegseth won two wars, so do we want to isolate him? What about isolating that person who was in the administration of (former President Joe) Biden, who disappeared for two weeks without anyone knowing his whereabouts?”, referring to former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s secret hospitalization in late 2023 and early 2024.

Trump added: “What about impeaching those who ran the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts in which thousands of lives were lost?” Later, Trump said, in a post on his platform, “Truth Social,” that the Secretary of Defense “should be praised, not removed,” and attacked Thomas Massie, who stated: “The defeated Republican representative - who is a failure by all standards - is trying to remove Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense who is perhaps the most popular and successful military official in the country.”

He added: "With recruitment rates at an all-time high - after being at their lowest levels under 'Sleepy Joe Biden' - and two victories in Venezuela and Iran, Pete Hegseth deserves praise, not dismissal." He continued, addressing Congress: “Defend Pete.”

For his part, Hegseth responded to Trump’s post, saying: “Thank you, Mr. President.