TMZ made its first-ever appearance at a Pentagon press briefing on Friday, and its initial questions left a notable impression on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth Responds to TMZ's First Question
After Hegseth spent much of the briefing criticizing the lack of support from U.S. allies for the Iran war, he took questions from the media, including two from TMZ DC. The first question came from co-managing editor Jacob Wasserman, who sought to understand Hegseth's mindset during military operations.
"I've heard you talk a lot about bombing people and places, and when you give these orders to carry out this extreme level of violence, what's going through your mind and your body?" Wasserman asked. "Do you have, like, an adrenaline rush? Are you scared? Do you feel like you're on a power trip?"
Hegseth grinned slightly before responding, "It's a very TMZ question." He then elaborated: "My only thought process is to ensure that our warfighters have everything they need to be successful, defeat and destroy the enemy, and they come home."
"I want them to feel empowered to have every authority they need within our rules and within our law to bring maximum violence to the enemy," Hegseth added. "Because war is violent, war requires doing difficult things. But I want our people to feel empowered so it's our guys that come home and their guys that do not."
Second Question: Renaming the Department
Hegseth then took a second question from co-managing editor Charlie Cotton. "You changed the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Would you consider changing the name again to the Department of Peace, since that's what we're all after?" Cotton asked.
"It's a great question, actually," Hegseth admitted. "You go from defense to war because you want to be proactive about peace through strength." He added that "when you fight a war the right way, the idea is, on the other side, you bring about peace. That is what we would like to see the most."
TMZ's Expansion into Politics
TMZ, known for showbiz gossip since 2005, added political coverage earlier this year. In March, during a partial government shutdown, site founder Harvey Levin asked the public to send in photos of politicians vacationing while federal employees worked without pay. This led to scoops like Sen. Lindsey Graham at Walt Disney World with a bubble wand, but also criticism for exposing Rep. Jared Moskowitz working as a timekeeper at his son's basketball game.
While many were surprised to see TMZ at the briefing, some on social media praised the questions. One user wrote, "It's not a bad question for TMZ, they're asking if he's getting a rush out of murdering people." Another commented, "If this is a 'TMZ question' I'm excited to see more of what TMZ will bring to the table." A third added, "What a SPECTACULAR question from @jacob_wass. I've never seen the corporate media hacks even dream of having the courage to ask something like this."
