Politics

Hegseth awards medal to soldier who chastised him November 13, 20265:27 AM ET

By 

Kate Bartlett

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, and his wife Jennifer Rauchet attend a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Coming out of the bruising the Republicans suffered in the midterms, this week was bearing up to be a bad one for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Many thought he'd be the first in the administration to be fired for his support of the Iran war, which proved unpopular with voters.