\n<\/p>\n
\u201cTrick question:<\/p>\n
Which of Donald Trump<\/strong>\u2019s Cabinet secretaries do you think is causing the most chaos right now?\u201d<\/p>\n Sigh.<\/p>\n That was the opening query of this week\u2019s episode of Inside the Hive,<\/em> hosted by Vanity Fair<\/em> editor in chief Radhika Jones,<\/strong> alongside executive editor Claire Howorth<\/strong> and Hive editor Michael Calderone.<\/strong> While there are a number of viable options, the group presents a strong case for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.<\/strong> \u201cThe consistency of the chaos is really the thing that puts him over the edge,\u201d says Jones.<\/p>\n Another reason Hegseth is up for this banner award? \u201cWell, we have something called Signalgate<\/a> now,\u201d notes Calderone.<\/p>\n Signalgate, you may recall, started a lot of drama when Hegseth shared military plans for airstrikes in the Middle East to two Signal group chats, which, of course, are not government-secured channels. \u201cPete Hegseth really is the poster case for what happens when you appoint a Fox News personality to do something as complex as run the Pentagon, which is an $850 billion department,\u201d says VF<\/em> special correspondent Gabe Sherman.<\/strong><\/p>\n Sherman joined this week\u2019s episode to discuss some of his deep reporting on Hegseth\u2019s background, his first marriage, and his relationship with the president. Sherman says that Hegseth, whose belief in God and the primacy of the family unit purportedly shaped him, was \u201cthis kind of golden boy\u2014the jock, bound for the Ivy League.\u201d His first marriage<\/a> to Meredith Schwarz<\/strong> had a storybook start as high school sweethearts back in Minnesota. But Sherman notes, \u201cBehind the scenes, there was something much darker.\u201d The sources he spoke to talked about Hegseth\u2019s controlling nature, his verbal abuse, his excessive drinking, and the cheating that led Schwarz to file for divorce about five years after they were married. What was most striking? \u201cThis guy\u2019s entire life has been one compromising situation after another. This speaks to his entitlement, that he just doesn\u2019t think that these things will catch up to him.\u201d<\/p>\n The ultimate question is whether President Trump will eventually be put off by Hegseth\u2019s personal and professional messes. Sherman predicts Hegseth won\u2019t last long-term, but that, despite Trump\u2019s ire<\/a>, Hegseth\u2019s job and glam countertop<\/a> are likely safe for now, as the president has instituted an unofficial \u201cno scalps\u201d policy. \u201cEven when Trump acknowledges privately that there\u2019s problems, he doesn\u2019t want to give the media a scalp.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n