Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters Friday that they should replace their fake news headlines about the war with Iran with honest ones – and provided examples.
“I used to be in that business and I know everything is written intentionally,” Hegseth said, taking on the unjustifiably negative spin of legacy media headlines used to mislead the public.
“Allow me to make a few suggestions,” Hegseth told the reporters:
“For example, a banner or a headline: ‘Mideast War Intensifies.’ Splashing on the screen the last couple of days, alongside visuals of civilian or energy targets that Iran has hit because that’s what they do.
“What should the banner read, instead?
“How about: ‘Iran Increasingly Desperate’ – because they are. They know it and so do you, if it can be admitted.”
.@SECWAR JUST LIT UP THE FAKE NEWS: pic.twitter.com/oAnTZbOuaC
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) March 13, 2026
“Or more fake news from CNN, [which] reports ‘the Trump Administration underestimated the war’s impact on the Strait of Hormus,’” Hegseth said, declaring the claim “Patently ridiculous, of course.”
“CNN doesn’t think we’ve thought of that. It’s a fundamentally unserious report,” he explained, continuing on:
“Another example of a fake headline that I saw yesterday: ‘War Widening.’
“Here’s a real headline for you for a patriotic press. How about: ‘Iran Shrinking, Going Underground.’
“You see, Iran’s leaders are hiding in bunkers and moving into civilian areas.”
“The only think that is widening is our advantage. Not to mention, our Gulf partners stepping up even more now, going on the offensive,” Sec. Hegseth noted.
