--- title: "Tillis calls on Trump to fire Defence Secretary Hegseth over military leadership" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/tillis-calls-on-trump-to-fire-defence-secretary-hegseth-over-military-leadership" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/tillis-calls-on-trump-to-fire-defence-secretary-hegseth-over-military-leadership" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/tillis-calls-on-trump-to-fire-defence-secretary-hegseth-over-military-leadership.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/tillis-calls-on-trump-to-fire-defence-secretary-hegseth-over-military-leadership" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-02T22:05:22.906Z" source_reported: "2026-09-02T21:37:41.000Z" updated: "2026-09-02T22:30:15.716Z" trust_score: 55 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 35 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-02T23:15:10.585485+00:00" --- # Tillis calls on Trump to fire Defence Secretary Hegseth over military leadership *Republican senator cites 'inept management' and links Army secretary's resignation to Pentagon chief's record* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 55 of 100, higher is better. Only Al Jazeera's report provides named sources and direct quotes. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. Only one outlet's own report; others are digests. - Hype 35 of 100, lower is better. Headlines use loaded terms like 'inept' across outlets. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican, publicly called on President Donald Trump to fire Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, citing 'inept management' and a 'leadership void' in the military. - Tillis linked Hegseth's leadership to the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who stepped down on Monday without giving a reason. - The US has been at war with Iran since 28 February 2026, and more than two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the administration's handling of it. - Hegseth has pursued changes to the Pentagon that include limiting journalistic access and removing transgender service members. Senator Thom Tillis called on President Donald Trump to dismiss Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on 2 September 2026. Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, accused Hegseth of 'inept management' and creating a 'leadership void' within the US military. The statement followed the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, which Tillis linked to Hegseth's leadership. Tillis made the remarks in a social media post. He wrote that Hegseth was 'intimidated by competence' and had retreated to 'ginning up culture wars' instead of addressing national defence. Tillis, who voted to confirm Hegseth in 2024, contrasted him with Driscoll, whom he described as forward-thinking. Driscoll resigned on Monday without giving a reason, though he praised the military in a post on the same platform. The US has been at war with Iran since 28 February 2026. The conflict has lasted six months with no end in sight, and the Trump administration's handling of it is disapproved of by more than two-thirds of Americans, according to a University of Massachusetts poll released on 31 August. Hegseth has faced scrutiny over his changes to the Pentagon, which include limiting journalistic access and reviewing admissions standards at military academies. The eight left-rated digests led on Senator Thom Tillis's criticism of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. All carried Tillis's accusation of 'inept management' and his call for Hegseth to be fired. Seven mentioned the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, and six linked it to Hegseth's leadership. Al Jazeera's full report quoted Tillis's social media post in full and detailed Hegseth's changes to the Pentagon, including the removal of transgender service members and the firing of top military leaders. Al Jazeera also reported that Tillis had voted to confirm Hegseth in 2024 despite concerns about his past conduct. The outlet quoted Tillis's statement that Hegseth was 'intimidated by competence' and had created a 'leadership void'. It carried the context of the war with Iran and the low public approval for the administration's handling of it. The two centre-rated digests led on Senator Tillis's call for President Trump to fire Defence Secretary Hegseth. Both carried Tillis's accusation of 'inept management' and his link between Hegseth's leadership and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's resignation. Neither mentioned the war with Iran or the public disapproval of the administration's handling of it. The one right-rated digest led on Senator Tillis's criticism of Defence Secretary Hegseth. It carried Tillis's accusation of 'inept management' and his call for Hegseth to be fired. It mentioned the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Tillis's link between it and Hegseth's leadership. It did not mention the war with Iran or the public disapproval of the administration's handling of it. None of the centre-rated or right-rated digests mentioned the war with Iran or the public disapproval of the administration's handling of it. The right-rated digest did not carry the detail that Hegseth had pursued changes to the Pentagon that include limiting journalistic access and removing transgender service members. ## Who covered it Shares of the 11 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 73% (8) - Centre: 18% (2) - Right: 9% (1) 0 of 11 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-02T23:15:10.585485+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 2 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-02T23:45:10.005Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - All eight left-rated outlets reported that Republican Senator Thom Tillis called on Donald Trump to dismiss Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. They noted Tillis’s criticism of Hegseth’s leadership as inept and his claim that the Pentagon chief had created a leadership void in the military. The digests and Al Jazeera’s report agreed Tillis had voted to confirm Hegseth 18 months earlier. - Al Jazeera led on Tillis’s accusation that Hegseth was fixated on culture-war issues rather than modernising the military. It quoted Tillis’s statement that Hegseth was “intimidated by competence” and had forced out top officers, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. The Independent, Raw Story, and The Daily Boulder’s digests also highlighted the forced retirements and Driscoll’s resignation. - Five digests and Al Jazeera’s report carried Tillis’s reference to Hegseth’s efforts to remove what he called “wokeness” from the military, including blocking promotions and reviewing admissions standards. Al Jazeera alone added that Hegseth had limited journalistic access to the Defence Department and removed transgender service members. None of the digests mentioned the ongoing war with Iran or its impact on Trump’s approval ratings. ### Centre - The centre-rated coverage agreed that Senator Thom Tillis called for President Donald Trump to dismiss Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Both accounts noted the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll as the immediate context for Tillis’s statement. - The Hill’s digest led on Tillis’s accusation of “inept management” of the military. Political Wire’s digest included a partial quote from Tillis, describing Hegseth as “intimidated by competence.” Neither digest mentioned other lawmakers’ reactions or the White House’s response. - Neither digest reported on the timing of Tillis’s previous calls for Hegseth’s removal or provided additional details about Driscoll’s resignation beyond its connection to the statement. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 8 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Al Jazeera](https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/2/republican-senator-calls-on-trump-to-fire-secretary-of-defence-hegseth) — Republican senator calls on Trump to fire Secretary of Defence Hegseth - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/thom-tillis-trump-hegseth-job-fired-b3043766.html) — Republican Senator calls on Trump to fire Hegseth for ‘inept management’ - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/thom-tillis-trump-hegseth-job-fired-b3043766.html) — Republican Senator calls on Trump to fire Hegseth for ‘inept management’ - [Newser](https://newser.com/story/395763/driscoll-confirms-exit-doesnt-give-reason.html) — Tillis Lays Into Hegseth After Driscoll's Departure - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/09/sen-thom-tillis-calls-on-trump-to-fire-inept-hegseth) — Sen. Thom Tillis Calls On Trump To Fire “Inept” Hegseth - [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/4710096/tillis-renew-call-fire-hegseth-driscoll-departure) — Tillis renews call to fire Hegseth over 'mismanagement' after Driscoll departure - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/pete-hegseth-2677810559) — GOP senator calls on Trump to replace 'inept' Hegseth: 'He is intimidated by competence' - [The Daily Boulder](https://dailyboulder.com/gop-senator-demands-trump-fire-pete-hegseth-over-inept-management) — GOP senator demands Trump fire Pete Hegseth over ‘inept management’ - [Mediaite](https://mediaite.com/media/news/republican-senator-urges-trump-to-fire-hegseth-i-have-never-witnessed-more-inept-management) — Thom Tillis Urges Trump to Fire Pete Hegseth - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/6066871-tillis-trump-fire-hegseth) — Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over ‘inept management’ of military - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/09/02/tillis-renews-calls-for-hegseths-ouster) — Tillis Renews Calls for Hegseth’s Ouster ## Questions **Why did Senator Thom Tillis call for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to be fired?** Senator Thom Tillis called for Pete Hegseth's dismissal on 2 September 2026, accusing him of 'inept management' and creating a 'leadership void' in the US military. Tillis linked Hegseth's leadership to the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and criticised his focus on culture wars over modernising the military. **What changes has Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made to the Pentagon?** Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has pursued changes to the Pentagon that include limiting journalistic access, removing transgender service members, and reviewing admissions standards for military academies. He has also fired top military leaders and blocked promotions, as reported by Al Jazeera. **How long has the US been at war with Iran, and how is the administration handling it?** The US has been at war with Iran since 28 February 2026, a conflict that has lasted six months with no end in sight. More than two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the Trump administration's handling of the war, according to a University of Massachusetts poll released on 31 August. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/tillis-calls-on-trump-to-fire-defence-secretary-hegseth-over-military-leadership. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Tillis calls on Trump to fire Defence Secretary Hegseth over military leadership", https://mediabias.news/politics/tillis-calls-on-trump-to-fire-defence-secretary-hegseth-over-military-leadership