The Tara Palmeri Show
Episode Summary: Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon: Misogyny Goes Mainstream
Date: January 19, 2026
Host: Tara Palmeri
Guest: Jasper Craven, military journalist and author of God Forgives Brothers Don’t: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood
Overview
Tara Palmeri welcomes military journalist Jasper Craven to unpack how U.S. military culture—under the leadership of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth—is regressing towards an exclusionary, hyper-masculine, and misogynistic model. They discuss how this shift impacts women, the valorization of brute force over strategic thinking, and the personal insecurities driving these institutional changes. Palmeri and Craven probe the consequences for both the military and American society, warning of deepening toxicity and diminished accountability at the Pentagon’s highest levels.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Shifting Model of Masculinity in the Pentagon
- Main Thesis: The Pentagon is being remade around a retrograde, hyper-masculine warrior ethos that sidelines women and discourages accountability.
- Jasper Craven: The U.S. military historically promoted positive values (sacrifice, community) but these have been "weaponized" and warped, particularly since the Cold War.
- “A lot of these ideas really got warped, you know, as military brass launched wars based on lies, faulty intelligence … this kind of bloodthirsty ethos seeps into certain sections of the military.” (04:10)
2. Pete Hegseth as Standard Bearer for Toxic Masculinity
- Hegseth’s confirmation was marked by controversy: alleged misogyny, sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and Islamophobia.
- Craven: Hegseth embodies the “collision” of damaging military cultural trends, and as Secretary of War, is visibly rolling back progress on gender inclusion.
- Palmeri: “It feels very much like the, you know, warrior from a medieval time that, you know, body count was all that mattered...” (06:12)
- Craven: Hegseth is “trying desperately to sort of, like, revert back to this old school mentality about body counts, about brutality.” (07:42)
3. Brains vs. Brawn: Policy and Symbolism
- Hegseth, unlike previous defense secretaries, lacks advanced military education and strategic thinking, instead favoring an aggressive, simplistic view of military power.
- Craven: “He looks the part… He can effectively say ‘fuck around and find out’… he's good at sort of posing as this ideal soldier, but really that's not enough to … win battles on the world stage.” (09:46)
- Palmeri: Highlights that real military success requires long-term strategy, not just brute force.
4. Hegseth’s Personal Evolution and Psychology
- Background: Raised as a straight-edge, diligent student; later transformed into a “frat boy” persona at Princeton after chafing against his father’s quietness and lack of aggression.
- “In his memoir, he makes very clear that he was kind of ashamed by his father... not aggressive... did not teach Pete how to be a badass...” (12:13)
- Memorable quote: “There's sort of this mythological moment where Pete meets a Vietnam veteran at a parade in Minneapolis as a kid … and really becomes captured by this idea of service.” (12:58)
- His early insecurity about masculinity metastasized into a worldview glorifying aggression and dismissing sensitivity.
5. Deep-Seated Insecurity and Misogyny
- Princeton years: Hegseth mocked campus feminist plays, wore his ROTC uniform excessively, and challenged others to macho stunts.
- “Hegset’s deep misogyny … is born out of a fear that … women could sort of usurp him militarily. … If there's a woman who racks up a higher body count than you, then you feel emasculated.” (17:04)
6. The Leanne Hester Episode: Women’s Valor & Hegseth’s Resentment
- Leanne Hester: National Guard leader, first woman to receive a Silver Star since WWII for heroism in combat.
- Contrast: Hegseth received a Bronze Star “without valor”—considered a participation award by insiders.
- “Twenty years later … Pete Hegseth is still fixating on Leanne Hester, saying, oh, you know, the awards process was rigged. … You can sort of see how this one moment crystallizes this for Hegseth, where he's like, I cannot be out by a woman.” (20:10)
- Insight: Hegseth’s jealousy and emotional issues drive policy to keep women out.
7. Systemic Misogyny, Accountability, and Transparency
- Hegseth is proactively dismantling programs for gender equity and sexual assault prevention established during the War on Terror and early 2000s.
- “He's really trying to revert the entire bureaucracy back to the 1980s. … In fact, the 1990s…” (22:58)
- Programs supporting female advancement and sexual assault reporting are “effectively dead.”
- “As best I can tell from sources, those programs are effectively dead. I doubt that there will be reporting on sexual misconduct in the military moving forward…” (24:32)
8. Culture of Frat-Bro Leadership
- Hegseth’s team is as “fratty” as he is—texting only emojis (fists, fire, American flags, muscles), talking strip clubs, and perpetuating a culture hostile to women and outsiders.
- “The guys he's brought in are like classically fratty too ... absolute frat bro central casting.” (25:25)
9. Broader Institutional & Civic Risks
- Decision-making at the highest levels is driven by men “with daddy issues” and personal insecurities, which is corroding rational governance.
- “Our entire government is being controlled by men with daddy issues right now. From Trump to J.D. Vance to Hegseth…” (26:40)
10. Erosion of Checks, Transparency, and Professionalism
- Senior military officers who might have checked radical decisions (like Mattis, Milley) are no longer in place. Loyalty and obedience are demanded, not professionalism, preparing the military for possible election interference or enforcement of executive overreach.
- “I think it is. We're sort of entering a period now where I think it's going to be really hard to tame Hegseth's and Trump's impulses. … The people in there now at key areas, from the hierarchy, from the top to the bottom, are down for this campaign and for this vision.” (28:53)
Notable Quotes / Memorable Moments
-
On Weaponized Masculinity:
“The military really needs to be reformed.”
(Jasper Craven, 05:30) -
On Hegseth’s Leadership:
“He knows, you know, the jargon ... he can effectively say ‘fuck around and find out’, like, he's just like, he's good at sort of posing as this ideal soldier, but really that's not enough to ... win battles on the world stage.”
(Jasper Craven, 09:46) -
On Leanne Hester:
“She gets the Silver Star, Pete Hegseth gets a Bronze Star … the damage that that must do to his ego is so all consuming that it's ... motivating now ... all of these insane decisions throughout the largest bureaucracy in America.”
(Jasper Craven, 20:20) -
On Fraternity Culture:
“These guys are just like total, you know, frat bro central casting. Absolutely.”
(Jasper Craven, 25:25) -
On the State of Military Oversight:
“I think it is. We're sort of entering a period now where I think it's going to be really hard to tame Hegseth's and Trump's impulses.”
(Jasper Craven, 28:53) -
On the Deterioration of Programs for Women and Survivors:
“Programs ... meant to basically elevate women ... are effectively dead. I doubt that there will be reporting on sexual misconduct in the military moving forward.”
(Jasper Craven, 24:32)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [03:29] Military culture's positive values and how they get weaponized
- [05:30] Hegseth as epitome of toxic military culture
- [07:57] Valorization of combat, body counts, exclusion of women
- [09:16] Lack of strategic perspective, muscle over brain
- [11:49] Hegseth’s family background, father-son dynamics
- [13:55] Hegseth's personal transformation from straight-edge teen to aggressive adult
- [17:04] Hegseth’s campus antics, fear of women’s military achievements
- [18:25] The Leanne Hester story, gendered heroism, and Hegseth's ego
- [21:56] Dismantling equity and sexual assault prevention programs
- [24:32] Death of accountability, reporting, and transparency
- [26:40] “Men with daddy issues” running the government
- [28:53] Institutional loyalty, loss of internal guardrails
- [29:46] What to watch: possible use of military to intimidate during elections
Next Steps & Watchpoints
- Monitor: Military presence and posture before/during midterm elections ([29:46])
- Indicators of further decline:
- Increased secrecy (e.g., withheld suicide/misconduct reports)
- Visible rollback of support for women and minorities
- Escalating use of militaristic posturing in civilian affairs
- Escalation in frat-bro, performative masculinity at top ranks
Closing Thoughts
Tara and Jasper end on a cautionary note: With accountability eroding and a culture of toxic masculinity consolidating power at the Pentagon, it’s urgent to pay attention to the slow structural changes that could reshape American democracy and military engagement for years to come.
Book Plug:
Go read Jasper Craven’s God Forgives Brothers Don’t: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood for a deeper dive into the forces at play under Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon.