Trump Predicts Hegseth Will ‘Get It Together’ Despite Controversies

US President Donald Trump, left, and Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defense, during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, April 10, 2025.Photographer: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg

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By Ryan Chua

April 28, 2025 at 4:38 PM UTC

Updated on

April 28, 2025 at 7:18 PM UTC

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President Donald Trump said he thinks embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will “get it together,” telling the Atlantic he’ll stick with his choice to lead the Pentagon despite recent turmoil.

“I think he’s gonna get it together,” Trump said in an April 24 interview with the magazine that was published Monday. “I think he’s a smart guy. He is a talented guy. He’s got a lot of energy. He’s been beat up by this, very much so. But I had a talk with him, a positive talk, but I had a talk with him.”