'Flabbergasted' analyst changes subject to rip 'unserious' Pete Hegseth: 'It's just weird'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s combative press conference at the Pentagon on Friday morning was on the mind of MS NOW contributor Sam Stein hours later when he made an appearance to discuss Donald Trump’s next overseas target.

Hegseth spent a great portion of his thirty-minute-plus appearance attacking reporters and dictating what headlines he thinks they should be reporting, while accusing them of a lack of patriotism.

Stein admitted he was still reeling from what he witnessed.

Asked by host Jonathan Lemire about Donald Trump’s military adventurism in Iran and Venezuela, and threats aimed at Cuba, Stein took an off-ramp instead.

"Yeah, and I just want to take a moment to talk about the defense secretary's claims, because I watched this morning's press conference and it was flabbergasting, honestly,” the grimacing Stein told the “Morning Joe” host.

“I mean, there's a few things that he said that just jump out. He called the new ayatollah the quote, ‘new so-called not-so-supreme leader.’ I mean, what are we doing here?” he asked.

“He outlined plans to intensify the bombing of Iran and then simultaneously criticized news networks for running banners saying that the Middle East war is intensifying — totally contradictory. He urged CNN to get new ownership.”

“I mean, this is a serious moment,” he lamented. “Obviously, an incredible human suffering, global economic ramifications. And we have someone in charge who is using these press briefings in a very unserious way, not trying to be moral about it, but it's just weird.”

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