Tillis Calls for Hegseth's Firing Over Inept Management

Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has publicly called on President Donald Trump to fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, citing what he described as "inept management" of the U.S. military. The demand, made in a social media post on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, came shortly after the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, which Tillis linked directly to Hegseth's leadership. Tillis, a retiring two-term senator who voted to confirm Hegseth, wrote that he had "never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country." He accused the defense secretary of being "intimidated by competence" and retreating to "ginning up culture wars" instead of focusing on national defense and the well-being of troops. The senator urged the president to find a new Pentagon leader who would "retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it." The criticism intensified following Driscoll's resignation earlier in the week. Driscoll had reportedly clashed with Hegseth over the removal of senior military officials and the direction of the Army's transformation.