Michael O'Hanlon
ON THE RECORD · 7 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“We haven’t had a TV talkshow star with a strong partisan and cultural agenda wind up as secretary of defense,”
Michael O'Hanlon · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-05
O'Hanlon noted the US has not previously had a TV talkshow star with a partisan agenda as defense secretary.
“There may be some echoes of previous secretaries, but the political and culture stuff is Pete Hegseth through and through.”
Michael O'Hanlon · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-05
O'Hanlon said the political and culture focus is characteristic of Pete Hegseth.
“not going to wind up leaving a major mark”
Michael O'Hanlon · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-05
O'Hanlon predicted Hegseth will not leave a major mark as defense secretary.
“He’s going to wind up being known as the guy who fought Trump’s culture wars for him – and maybe failed to help Trump stay out of trouble in the Iran war, depending on how bad that gets.”
Michael O'Hanlon · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-05
O'Hanlon predicted Hegseth will be known for fighting Trump's culture wars and possibly failing on the Iran war.
“I don't expect great things, but even incremental progress and no blow-up would be welcome,”
Michael O'Hanlon · said date not stated · reported 2026-07-07
O'Hanlon expressed tempered expectations for the NATO summit outcome.
“I do not think there's any great evidence that Putin is closer to doing a deal. I hope President Trump's right, but I haven't seen proof yet.”
Michael O'Hanlon · said date not stated · reported 2026-07-07
O'Hanlon told CNBC he does not see evidence that Putin is closer to making a deal.
“I can imagine so many issues where this could go wrong,”
Michael O'Hanlon · said 2026-07-06 · reported 2026-07-07
O'Hanlon gave a preview of the NATO summit in an interview with CNBC's The Exchange on Monday.