The campaign against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken a calculated and multi-pronged turn, with coordinated attacks emerging from both internal Department of Defense sources and prominent media outlets. These efforts appear designed to destabilize his position within the administration and cast doubt on his leadership, just months into his tenure.
News: @SecDef Hegseth recently ordered modifications to the green room next to the Pentagon press briefing room to add a makeup studio that can be used to prep for TV appearances, sources told @CBSNews.
The price tag for the project was several thousand dollars.
The space…
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 23, 2025
Multiple reports, including a widely circulated CBS News piece, allege that Hegseth repurposed the Pentagon’s Green Room into a costly makeup studio for personal media appearances. Critics point to this as a contradiction to his publicly stated mission of eliminating waste and inefficiency within the Department of Defense. The piece cites anonymous sources and frames the expenditures—described vaguely as “several thousand dollars”—as an example of fiscal irresponsibility during a broader government audit effort led by the Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Does the fake news NOT have anything better to do?
1. No lighted mirror.
2. It didn’t cost thousands.
3. The items that were added to the GREEN ROOM (not a makeup studio) came from existing inventory.This story is TRASH! https://t.co/hOrF5VNqcg pic.twitter.com/FQzXX4QgpW
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) April 23, 2025
The implication is clear: Hegseth is being portrayed as a figure focused more on optics than operational readiness, a charge that undermines his emphasis on bolstering military preparedness and warfighting capabilities.
SecDef Hegseth is doing his own makeup ahead of TV appearances, not paying for a makeup artist, a defense official told @cbsnews‘ @ellee_watson
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 23, 2025
President Trump has responded forcefully, rejecting the allegations outright. In a recent exchange with the press, he reaffirmed his confidence in Hegseth, remarking, “He’s doing a great job… Ask the Houthis how he’s doing.” Trump dismissed replacement rumors as “fake news,” signaling that Hegseth remains secure in his post, at least from the perspective of the Oval Office.
So the desperate and worthless media wants to talk about a “green room” in the Pentagon…..🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/JgCI9cKPXQ
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) April 23, 2025
The Department of Defense Rapid Response team has also weighed in, labeling the CBS report as misinformation. The official DOD account highlighted a previous, far more expensive media staging area constructed under the Biden-Harris administration—an expense that, according to them, went largely unchallenged by the same media organizations now critical of Hegseth.
