Hegseth laughs off unusual TMZ DC queries at Pentagon briefing, calls it ‘a very TMZ question’

WASHINGTON, DC: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on Friday, April 24, had one of the lighter moments of an otherwise serious Pentagon briefing when TMZ DC reporters asked two unconventional questions during an update on the Iran conflict.

Hegseth mocked the first as “a very TMZ question” before using the exchange to reinforce his message on war, deterrence and peace through strength.

Hegseth roasts TMZ reporters

The briefing, held with Dan Caine, had largely focused on military operations tied to Iran and regional security.

Near the end of the event, Hegseth called on Jacob Wasserman of TMZ DC, the entertainment outlet’s recently launched Washington bureau.

When Wasserman said he had two questions- one for himself and one for a colleague, Hegseth jokingly replied, “We’ll see.”

Wasserman asked Hegseth what goes through his mind when authorizing strikes, including whether he feels adrenaline, fear, or a sense of power while ordering military action.

“When you give these orders to carry out this extreme level of violence, what's going through your mind and your body? Do you have, like, an adrenaline rush? Are you scared? Do you feel like you're on a power trip?” asked Wasserman. 

Hegseth dismissed the question with a grin, calling it “a very TMZ question,” but then answered more seriously.

He said his only focus in such moments is making sure American service members have what they need to succeed, defeat the enemy and return home safely.

Hegseth also stressed that war is inherently violent and difficult, adding that commanders must prioritize outcomes rather than emotion.

“I want them to feel empowered to have every authority they need within our rules and within our law to bring maximum violence to the enemy.”

“War requires doing difficult things. But I want our people to feel empowered. So it's our guys that come home and they're guys that do not”, Hegseth said.

Hegseth speaks on renaming Department of War

Hegseth then invited a second question from Charlie Cotton of TMZ DC, joking he would give him “one chance.”

Cotton asked whether the Department of War, a phrase Hegseth has used rhetorically, should instead be called the “Department of Peace.”

Rather than laugh it off, Hegseth praised the question as a good one and used it to explain his long-held view that strength prevents larger conflicts.

He said nations move from defense to war to secure peace through deterrence and decisive action.

Pentagon briefings typically revolve around troop deployments, weapons systems, intelligence threats and diplomacy.

TMZ’s personality-driven questions brought a different tone and quickly became the most talked-about part of the event.

Instead of appearing irritated, Hegseth used the unusual questions to project confidence and stay on message.