What happened
War Secretary Pete Hegseth was interrupted by protesters multiple times during an Army conference on Wednesday. The protesters, who were positioned throughout the conference room, shouted 'Nazi' and 'war criminal' at Hegseth, with some accusing him of 'killing children in Gaza'.
At least five protesters interrupted Hegseth during the first 30 minutes of his panel, with one female protester refusing to cooperate with authorities and having to be carried out of the event. The panel, which included Hegseth and other high-ranking military officials, was discussing the Pentagon's effort to develop and deploy autonomous military weapons and systems.
Hegseth appeared to become increasingly flustered as the protests continued, with one panelist remarking that the disruptions seemed to be a 'semi-coordinated effort'. The protests underscore Hegseth's unpopularity, with recent polls showing that he has a low approval rating and is expected to be the next Cabinet member to exit the Trump administration.
