The last time President Donald Trump tried to send military forces into American streets to put down civil unrest, in June 2020, Pete Hegseth was positioned outside the White House with a Kevlar helmet and riot shield.
This story was updated at 4 p.m. ET on June 5, 2025.
Things were going fine for Pete Hegseth, right up until a chance encounter with the world’s richest man. His pursuit of Donald Trump’s agenda at the Pentagon had made him a star among the president’s advisers. The former Fox News host had moved swiftly to roll back diversity initiatives in the military and to expand U.S. troops’ role in halting immigration at the southern border.