I’ve studied MAGA rhetoric for a decade, and this is what I see in Hegseth’s boasts, action-movie one-liners and gloating over dominance

Why does Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brag and gloat in his statements about the Iran war? In the MAGA media world, war is a game, a test of masculine fortitude.

By: Casey Ryan Kelly, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 9, 2026

Words: 1,097

Last Updated: 16 hours, 40 minutes ago

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By Casey Ryan Kelly, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

When Secretary of Defense James Mattis addressed the intensification of U.S. combat operations against the Islamic State group in 2017, he assured the American public of his commitment to “get the strategy right” while maintaining “the rules of engagement” to “protect the innocent.”

Mattis’ professional tone was a stark contrast to Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks following the first days of the joint U.S.-Israeli combat operations in Iran.

On …

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