The Jim Acosta Show

Episode: Hegseth Blames the "Fog of War" While Trump Naps

Guests: Rep. Jason Crow and David Rothkopf
Date: December 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode examines troubling recent developments in the Trump administration, focusing on the controversial Caribbean boat strike, the repercussions of “fog of war” defenses, eroding norms in military conduct, the President’s apparent disengagement, and broader system issues from democratic backsliding to billionaire-driven policy. Congressman Jason Crow and columnist David Rothkopf join Jim Acosta to provide insight, accountability, and a call to civic action.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Controversial Caribbean Boat Strike

Background:

• Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth blames the “fog of war” for a follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in September, in which survivors of the initial strike were killed ([00:06]–[01:57]).

Congressman Crow’s Response:

• Crow: “Fog of war is no excuse for firing on non-combatants, which it appears is what happened.” ([01:07])
• Highlights Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and disparages his attempt to cast blame ([01:07]–[01:57]).
• Emphasizes law and military ethics: “Once someone is no longer a combatant, you have a moral and legal obligation not to target them and to provide aid.” ([05:12])

Key Quote:

“Pete Hegseth should know better… The fog that he’s most familiar with is from his drunken stupors of years past… This is real stuff.”
— Rep. Jason Crow ([01:07])

2. Hegseth’s Defense & Rules of Engagement

Hegseth’s Defense:

• Hegseth, in Cabinet and at Quantico, advocates for removing “stupid” rules of engagement, saying, “We unleash overwhelming… violence… We untie the hands of our warfighters to… hunt and kill the enemies of our country.” ([02:59]–[03:14])
• Accuses the press and politicians of undermining “American heroes” ([02:07]–[02:45]).

Crow's Critique:

• Crow labels this a “dereliction of duty” ([03:27]).
• "It's crazy stuff until it actually happens in real life and you see the consequences… and then it's illegal and it's murder." ([03:54])

Key Quote:

“…This man has a long history of creating permission structure for lawlessness and recklessness.”
— Rep. Jason Crow ([03:27])

3. Potential War Crimes & Accountability

• Crow agrees war crimes may be possible, urges investigation and oversight ([04:38]–[05:45]).
• Asserts this is a by-product of Trump’s “lawless and reckless” culture ([04:42]–[06:28]).

Key Quote:

“Now you look at what happened — if there were unarmed survivors of a strike… those folks have been rendered noncombatants. This is very basic law of land warfare stuff.”
— Rep. Jason Crow ([05:12])

4. Erosion of Oversight and Lack of Transparency

• Lawmakers were not fully briefed about the strike; Crow expresses “deep concern” over military strategies and lack of congressional input ([07:57]–[09:13]).
• Administration’s approach seen as “endless conflict with no strategy.”
• Trump accused of pardoning drug lords rather than addressing the opioid crisis ([09:14]–[09:27]).

5. Unlawful Orders, Intimidation & Danger to Democracy

• Crow and others warned service members not to follow unlawful orders — White House responded with accusations of “treason and sedition,” FBI intimidation, and enabling of threats against lawmakers ([11:02]–[13:00]).
• Crow: “If he thinks he can threaten and intimidate us… he’s chosen the wrong adversaries.” ([12:17])

Key Quote:

“He accused us of treason… This is the man who literally did inspire an insurrection.”
— Rep. Jason Crow ([13:00])

6. Trump’s Behavior, Fitness for Office & Cabinet Extremism

• Trump was disengaged, sleeping through Cabinet meetings while the country faces urgent crises ([14:36]).
• Acosta: “I have never seen him nod off this much… it’s almost like a daily thing now.” ([20:02])
• Concerns that inept leadership gives Cabinet “carte blanche” to act recklessly (e.g., Hegseth and Kristi Noem) ([14:36]–[19:25]).

Key Quote:

“If you’re the President of the United States and you can’t stay awake long enough… what’s going to go down?”
— Jim Acosta ([20:02])

7. Policy Cruelty & Targeting of Minorities

• DHS, led by Kristi Noem, planning raids targeting Somali immigrants in Minnesota following a National Guard shooting — despite Somalis having no connection ([22:38]–[23:48]).
• Acosta: “It gets to the nastiness. It gets to the cruelty of this administration.” ([23:33])

8. National Crisis: Lawlessness, Authoritarian Drift & Urgency

David Rothkopf’s Analysis:

• Argues the U.S. is in a “new phase of national crisis: accelerating madness, lawlessness, corruption, cruelty, and destruction.” ([25:02])
• Every major policy area is being managed in the “most destructive way imaginable.” ([25:02]–[28:24])
• Calls for “greater urgency, greater numbers, bolder actions”: “No one is going to come save us. If we don’t save ourselves, the acceleration will continue.” ([27:23])

Key Quote:

“This has got to be kind of an alarm to everybody… This is not normal, and no one is going to come save us.”
— David Rothkopf ([27:25])

• Acosta: Complacency is dangerous — “People are getting up off the sofa, but it has to be sustained.” ([28:24])

9. Systemic Inequality & Subversion of Democracy

• Rothkopf: “American capitalism has killed American democracy.” Billionaires and corporate interests now “drive policy,” blocking popular reforms ([36:16]).
• Majority-supported reforms (gun safety, healthcare, campaign finance) can't pass due to the “money primary” ([34:13]).
• Acosta: “The system is rigged… we’re becoming detached from our own democracy.” ([35:45])

10. Generational Change & Hopes for the Future

• Rothkopf: A generational shift is coming. By 2028, voters will be majority Millennial/Zoomer; they reject the failed stewardship of Boomers and GenX ([38:54]).
• Both see hope in younger generations demanding real change ([39:52]).

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “Fog of war is no excuse for firing on non combatants.”
  — Rep. Jason Crow ([01:07])

• “He’s become the most interventionist, pro-conflict president of my lifetime, which is saying something.”
  — Rep. Jason Crow ([09:27])

• On death threats and incitement:
  “He accused us of treason… This is the man who literally did inspire an insurrection.”
  — Rep. Jason Crow ([13:00])

• Regarding Trump’s napping:
  “I have never seen him nod off this much… It’s almost like a daily thing now where he has a meeting… and he’s just, he’s asleep.”
  — Jim Acosta ([20:02])

• On billionaire-driven politics:
  “American capitalism has killed American democracy… Not to say capitalism is bad, but vulture capitalism is bad.”
  — David Rothkopf ([36:16])

• On urgent action:
  “We cannot, must not continue as we have been. We must respond… with greater urgency, greater numbers, bolder actions…”
  — David Rothkopf, quoting his Substack ([25:02])

• On hopefulness for generational change:
  “2028 will be the first election… where the majority of voters were born after 1990. They know it’s not there for good. They’re saying, we’re not buying that anymore…”
  — David Rothkopf ([38:54])

Important Timestamps

• [00:06] – Opening: Acosta frames the “fog of war” controversy, introduces Rep. Crow
• [01:07] – Crow rebukes Hegseth on "fog of war"
• [02:07] – Hegseth defends the strike; antagonizes the press
• [02:59] – Hegseth rejects rules of engagement at Quantico speech
• [03:27] – Crow: “dereliction of duty” and consequences
• [04:42] – Potential for war crimes, Trump’s lawlessness
• [07:05] – Importance of rules of engagement, moral obligations
• [09:14] – Opioid crisis, Trump’s hypocrisy
• [11:02] – FBI intimidation over warning against unlawful orders
• [13:00] – Crow: death threats, January 6 connection
• [14:36] – Trump’s fitness and disengagement
• [17:03] – Trump says affordability is “a scam”
• [18:52] – Trump’s personal priorities: ballroom, jets, golf course reconstruction
• [20:02] – Acosta on Trump’s napping and disengagement
• [22:38] – DHS prepping operation targeting Somali immigrants
• [25:02] – Rothkopf on “descent into madness”
• [27:25] – Call to urgent civic action
• [34:13] – Systemic policy gridlock due to billionaire donors
• [36:16] – “American capitalism has killed American democracy”
• [38:54] – Generational hope for post-MAGA change

Additional Memorable Moments

• Acosta, throughout, deploys biting sarcasm regarding Trump’s inattentiveness: “It’s Weekend at Bernie’s at the White House, starring Donald Trump.” ([44:00]–[45:46])
• Trump, defending his cognitive ability: “Right now I think I’m sharper than I was 25 years ago. But who the hell knows?... They said to me, would you like to take a cognitive test? I said, is it hard?” ([45:46])
• Acosta: “He is not alert, folks. He is not awake.” ([46:17])
• Media crackdown: All reporters ejected from Pentagon unless willing to pass stories through the press office; only MAGA-sympathetic personalities remain ([50:46])
• Acosta: “What you witnessed today… is an example of what state media looks like.” ([50:54])

Tone & Language

• Candid, outraged, and often darkly sardonic (especially from Acosta)
• Guests provide sharp, urgent analysis; combine moral clarity with informed alarm
• Frankness around threats to democracy, government abuse, and the dangers of complacency

Summary Takeaway

The Trump administration’s slide into lawlessness—evidenced by reckless military orders, attacks on oversight, and disdain for institutional norms—is compounded by the President’s disengagement and a system captive to billionaire interests. Yet amid the chaos, both guests call for alarm, civic resilience, and hope in a rising, more just generation ready to reclaim American democracy.