His remarks provoked quick rebukes. An English historian blasted the speech on X as historically tone‑deaf and insulting to veterans, even calling Hegseth a "comic book nobody." A Swedish economist also dismissed the comments as nonsense and noted immigration is an internal policy matter.
Hegseth, 46, has faced other controversies this year, including a criticized West Point speech about cadets' fitness and remarks about pronouns and DEI. Reports say he recently fired several senior officers, feels isolated, and has been accompanied to meetings by his third wife, Jennifer Rauchet, a former Fox News producer; he married in 2019 after two divorces.