'He should stepdown': Internet demands Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's resignation as he returns to Pentagon after secret hospitalization

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has returned to the Pentagon on Monday, January 29, after a four-week-long secret hospitalization due to complications from prostate cancer surgery, reported the New York Post.

His return to the Defense Department's headquarters coincided with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's visit, who met Austin and other senior officials to discuss global security issues, especially support for Ukraine.

According to the Defense Department's short statement announcing his return, Austin had been working from home since his discharge from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on January 15.

Lloyd Austin is glad to be back

At the opening of his meeting with the NATO Secretary General, 70-year-old Austin said that he was "glad to be back at Pentagon."

"I feel good and am recovering well, but I'm still recovering," he added.

The Secretary of Defense, who had undergone a prostatectomy on December 22, 2023, a procedure that was kept from his colleagues, including President Joe Biden, for days, was taken to hospital by ambulance from his Virginia home due to severe pain.

Though he secretly transferred his authority to Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks on January 2, the President remained uninformed for days and came to know about the situation only on January 4.

The matter received widespread backlash from Republicans slamming Biden for his ineffectiveness. In addition, Fox News host Laura Ingraham also lashed out at the administration's failure to notice Austin's absence and mocked the Defense Secretary, an "invisible general."

Despite calls for Austin's resignation, the President declared his "confidence" in him.

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump also criticized him during the recent US strikes on Houthis in Yemen, claiming that Austin ran "the war from his laptop in a hospital room."

The Defense Secretary is due to appear before a House Committee on February 14 to testify publicly about his failure to disclose his hospitalization.

Internet insists on Lloyd Austin's resignation

Infuriated by the Defense Secretary's irresponsibility, netizens called for his step down from the position.

One user opined, "It should have been for his exit interview."

Another user demanded, "Austin Resign now."

"It's like he never left... Because he's useless," one user said. Another response read, "He should stepdown."

One user said, "Good for him. Now impeach him."

"We are so sure you’re better and glad. Just not confident in your leadership," another added.

Another reaction read, "Should have been given his last check and turned in his badge."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.