this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2026
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Press photographers were reportedly barred from Pentagon press briefings after Pete Hegseth‘s staff became irked over unflattering photos of the defense secretary. The office of the notoriously vain Cabinet member — a former Fox News host who had a hair and makeup studio built in the Pentagon shortly after being confirmed — should probably have more important things on his mind, chiefly the war in Iran, and, perhaps, the elementary school there that the United States appears to have bombed.

According to a Wednesday report from The Washington Post, press pool photographers were banned from briefings on March 4 and March 10 after taking and publishing what sources described as “unflattering” images of Hegseth. The Post noted that the White House had declined to comment on the decision to exclude the photographers. The White House took exception, with Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly sharing an email reply to the publication with an off-topic quip over the newspaper’s recent layoff of more than 300 journalists, but no actual response to the Post’s question about the concern over Hegseth’s image.

The National Press Club responded on Wednesday, with President Mark Schoeff Jr. writing that the Pentagon’s decision “is deeply troubling and runs counter to the fundamental principles of transparency in a democratic society,” adding that “when the government decides which images the public is allowed to see, transparency is replaced by control.” PEN America also responded, calling the decision to bar photographers a “petty act of retaliation.”

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[–] Etterra@discuss.online 9 points 1 hour ago

For somebody acting as violently masculine as possible he sure is a pussy-ass bitch.

[–] chaotic_ugly@lemmy.zip 1 points 7 minutes ago

To be fair, this picture was on the front page here for 3 or 4 days and was clearly chosen in bad faith by the outlet because Nazi.

Not saying I don't want him to walk in front of a moving bus, but everyone knows for a fact at this point that this administration will weaponize anything they can. The Irish Star should know better, but a Nazi salute that wasn't gets clicks so here we are.

[–] 5too@lemmy.world 1 points 26 minutes ago

There's flattering photos of him?

More seriously, what photos is he even objecting to?

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 hour ago

Or else the man child cries.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 hour ago

He wouldn't look like such a clown if he didn't put that grease on his hair like some kind of aspiring guido.

[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 12 points 10 hours ago (1 children)
[–] GratefullyGodless@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

And hair gel.

[–] dephyre@lemmy.world 90 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

A pocket square without a tie? At least he buttoned his jacket while standing.

[–] giantripdrop@piefed.social 7 points 12 hours ago (2 children)
[–] hancock@retrolemmy.com 4 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Cmon man, dont insult my boy harvey like that.

But can we trust him?

[–] dan69@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

This photos aren’t relevant, only photos I care about the EPSTEIN photos!

[–] FUCKING_CUNO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 74 points 16 hours ago

Quit lookin so dumb than

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 15 points 12 hours ago

This is how you get the worst pictures of yourself published ad nauseam.

[–] Ghostie@lemmy.zip 27 points 14 hours ago

Every person on the internet that dislikes this guy should go back through past video footage and find frames that are completely unflattering and screenshot them, inundating the internet with more unflattering images.

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 44 points 15 hours ago

OK, but why male models?

[–] MushuChupacabra@piefed.world 54 points 16 hours ago

What a loser.

Oh this is definitely getting Streisand Effected.

[–] blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 16 hours ago

Surely this is a fast track way of getting people to only take unflattering photos of you

[–] KnitWit@lemmy.world 22 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

The weird thing is they weren’t even bad pictures of him. Like, he looks like a douchebag who would use terms like ‘warfighter’ instead of just saying soldier, but the photos were just him. It’s not like the Vanity Fair photos that purposefully focused on the lip injection wounds, etc.

[–] thebestaquaman@lemmy.world 15 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

It's not about the pictures. I honestly think this is just an excuse to get rid of journalists, and a method for hammering home the point that "journalists bad. news fake." I'm not even sure he's actually seen the pictures I question.

With that said, I wouldn't put it past him to actually be so vain that it is really about the pictures. However I think it's more likely that he would have done something like this anyway, and just picked an excuse.

[–] KnitWit@lemmy.world 6 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

I think it’s a form of loyalty test for them for sure, but also I really do think it comes it down to him being that vain. One of the first things he did after confirmation was have a makeup studio installed. Guarantee an hour or more of his day is spent in front of a mirror, every day.

Armchair psychologist: Things aren’t going as planned in Iran, and he feels like he looks like a fool for it, so he’s lashing out and attacking the media for making him look bad.

[–] limelight79@lemmy.world 1 points 50 minutes ago

Guarantee an hour or more of his day is spent in front of a mirror, every day.

Not surprising, considering his previous job was a talking head on Fox or something like that. Which, in what's left of Trump's mind, makes him totally qualified to be the Secretary of Defense.

[–] k0e3@lemmy.ca 9 points 12 hours ago

I wanna see ugly photos and photoshops of him trending like we did with JD Vance.

[–] robocall@lemmy.world 22 points 15 hours ago
[–] jaemo@sh.itjust.works 6 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Is it worth chiming in that I've personally never seen any image or facsimile of that thing that is in any way, shape, or form flattering to the subject matter? If I was making a catalogue of "shammies one would wash one's car with" its complexion might make an appearance in the appendix but otherwise nah. No redeeming value from a photographic stance, or, frankly, from any other point of view really.

He's not much good to humanity alive.

Speaking as a bald man, I would like to have his hair. For bonus points, it would be kinda fun to watch it being taken from him.

[–] webp@mander.xyz 6 points 12 hours ago

His face unflatters itself.

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 10 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I wouldn't want photos of me when I'm on a 3 day bender either

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 4 points 11 hours ago

3 day benders would be rookie numbers. He’s not gone off a bender since he got the job.

[–] Jaybird@lemmy.world 13 points 15 hours ago

What a snowflake.

[–] Entertainmeonly@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 15 hours ago

Don't be a drag just be a queen.

[–] circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org 11 points 15 hours ago

His skin would clear up if he stopped drinking.

[–] IAmYouButYouDontKnowYet@reddthat.com 12 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Dude looks like a twink fratboys bleached asshole.

[–] homes@piefed.world 24 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

He’s nowhere near that pretty

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 12 points 15 hours ago

Then why don't I want to stick my dick in him? 🤔

[–] ef9357@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago

He looks like a constipated troll. The camera ain’t lying.

[–] frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io 11 points 16 hours ago

They should go back and pick even worse shots to update the stories with, make them bigger and add ugly photos where none were before

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 6 points 14 hours ago

Everyone in the trump administration has huge ego problems.

[–] Greyghoster@aussie.zone 2 points 11 hours ago

Trump picked him because he was pretty and a suck up. That probably means he is vain as well.

[–] quick_snail@feddit.nl 2 points 11 hours ago

South Park nailed it