Trump Distances Himself from Hegseth Amid Reports of Deadly Caribbean Strike Order, Fracturing G.O.P. Loyalty

By Helene Cooper and Jonathan Weisman Washington — Dec. 1, 2025

President Donald J. Trump, who has built his second term on unyielding loyalty to his inner circle of Fox News alumni and military hard-liners, appeared to abandon Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday in a stunning admission that distanced him from reports that his appointee ordered U.S. forces to “kill everybody” on a suspected drug boat — including survivors of an initial strike. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Mar-a-Lago to Washington, Mr. Trump said he “didn’t know anything about” the alleged second attack and added, “Pete said he did not say that, and I believe him 100 percent.” But pressed on the legality of such an order, he demurred: “I don’t know that that happened. And Pete said he did not want that — he didn’t even know what people were talking about.” The equivocal remarks, a far cry from his usual blanket defenses, have cracked open fissures in the MAGA alliance, with congressional Republicans launching bipartisan probes and allies like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene decrying a “betrayal” that risks unraveling Mr. Trump’s retribution agenda.

The controversy stems from a Sept. 2 strike in the Caribbean, the first in a series of more than a dozen drone and special operations attacks on vessels suspected of smuggling fentanyl precursors for the Tren de Aragua gang — operations Mr. Trump has touted as a cornerstone of his “America First” border security push. According to a Washington Post report published Friday, based on interviews with officials with direct knowledge, Mr. Hegseth verbally instructed commanders to ensure “no survivors” in the initial assault, which killed 11 Venezuelan nationals. When two men emerged from the wreckage, a Joint Special Operations commander ordered a follow-up strike to comply, killing them as well. Law-of-war experts, including those at Human Rights Watch, labeled the directive a potential war crime, akin to extrajudicial execution, violating U.S. rules of engagement and international humanitarian law. “This isn’t counter-narcotics; it’s a kill-or-be-killed policy without due process,” said Scott Horton, a lecturer at Columbia Law School and author of “Enough: Why the World’s Mightiest Military Can’t Win the World’s Longest War.”

Mr. Hegseth, 45, vehemently denied the account in a late Friday X post, calling it “fake news intended to discredit our military heroes” and insisting the strikes were “lawful under both U.S. and international law.” But the damage was done: By Sunday morning, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees — both G.O.P.-led — announced “full oversight” inquiries, with Senate Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., demanding a classified briefing and inspector general report. House Armed Services Ranking Member Adam Smith, D-Wash., joined Ranking Member Jack Reed, D-R.I., in a bipartisan letter to Mr. Hegseth, warning that the allegations “raise grave concerns about command accountability.” Even Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump confidant, struck a cautious tone on “Face the Nation,” saying: “If true, this is unacceptable — we fight smart, not savage.”

Mr. Trump’s Air Force One comments, captured mid-flight as he returned from a Thanksgiving weekend at his Florida estate, marked a subtle but seismic shift. Aides, speaking anonymously to describe private deliberations, said the president had been “fuming” during a Saturday call with Mr. Hegseth, berating him for the “optics disaster” amid snowballing scandals — from the defense secretary’s repeated Signal chat leaks sharing classified Yemen strike plans with family members to his threats to court-martial Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., over a video urging troops to refuse illegal orders. “The boss wants distance — Pete’s a lightning rod, and with midterms coming, he can’t afford the blowback,” one White House official said. Mr. Trump, who handpicked Mr. Hegseth for his Fox-fueled anti-“woke” bona fides, has defended him publicly before — praising his “warrior spirit” during April’s Signal scandal — but Sunday’s remarks carried an undercurrent of doubt, fueling speculation of a quiet purge.

The abandonment sent shockwaves through MAGA circles. Ms. Greene, who resigned her House seat last week in a bid to force Epstein file declassifications, blasted Mr. Trump on X: “Throwing Pete under the bus? This is the loyalty we signed up for? MAGA’s cracking because the top dog bails when it’s hot!” Her post, viewed 2.1 million times, drew likes from Freedom Caucus firebrands like Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who reposted: “Trump’s right hand can’t be a liability — time for a real fighter.” The infighting escalated on Newsmax, where host Rob Schmitt interrupted a panel to air a leaked audio of Mr. Hegseth raging at aides over the Post story: “They’re out to get me — but I’ll burn it all down first!” The clip, authenticity confirmed by two sources, trended under #HegsethMeltdown, blending memes of Mr. Hegseth in fatigues with clips from his Fox days.

Democrats, sensing vulnerability, pounced. Mr. Kelly, the target of Mr. Hegseth’s court-martial threats, dismissed the duo on NBC’s “Meet the Press” as “not serious people,” tying the boat strike to broader concerns over Mr. Trump’s norm-shattering retribution campaign. “Ordering ‘kill everybody’ isn’t leadership; it’s a crime — and Trump’s waffling proves he knows it,” Mr. Kelly said, his words drawing applause from a Phoenix town hall crowd. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called for Mr. Hegseth’s immediate resignation, introducing a discharge petition to force a vote on subpoenaing strike records. “MAGA’s alliance is fracturing because even Trump can’t defend the indefensible,” Mr. Jeffries said in a floor speech.

The scandal compounds Mr. Hegseth’s woes, a tenure defined by chaos since his narrow January confirmation. A Princeton graduate and Army National Guard veteran, he rose on Fox rants against “woke” generals, but gaffes have piled up: February’s purge of three judge advocates general, April’s Signal leaks discussing Yemen ops with his uncleared wife, and October’s “fat admirals” fitness edict that alienated brass. Recent embarrassments include a botched military parade on Mr. Trump’s birthday in June — which the president reportedly “reamed” him over — and threats to sever ties with Scouting America for being “genderless.” Pentagon morale, per anonymous leaks to CNN, is at a nadir, with enlistment down 15 percent and I.G. probes multiplying.

For Mr. Trump, 79, the Hegseth imbroglio underscores the perils of his loyalty-first cabinet: Appointees like Mr. Hegseth embody the MAGA id — combative, unfiltered — but invite scrutiny that boomerangs. Historians draw parallels to Nixon’s Watergate unraveling, where aides’ scandals eroded the throne. “Trump’s ‘crime admission’ isn’t contrition; it’s calculation — but it signals to the base that even sacred cows can be sacrificed,” said Julian Zelizer, a Princeton political historian.

As Monday dawned, Mr. Hegseth retreated to the Pentagon for damage control, emerging for a terse briefing: “The strikes saved American lives — the leaks endanger them.” Mr. Trump, landing at Andrews Air Force Base, posted a cryptic Truth Social video: “Fake news hits hard — but we hit back harder. Loyalty tested, truth wins.” Yet with congressional hearings looming and the G.O.P. majority teetering after off-year losses, the abandonment isn’t just personal — it’s perilous. In Washington’s zero-sum game, a spiraling scandal doesn’t just fracture alliances; it foretells freefall. For MAGA, the crack isn’t mending — it’s widening.