Trump and Hegges Push Back on O’Donnell’s Report

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegges confronted NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell on Wednesday regarding a recent intelligence assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). A leaked report revealed that damage from U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities might only temporarily hinder Iran’s nuclear program. O’Donnell pressed Trump about the findings, but he insisted that the DIA report was incomplete and failed to accurately gauge the impact of the recent U.S. bombings.

O’Donnell queried, “You’ve mentioned assessing sites like Fordow. What’s your message to the intelligence community following their reports?” Trump shot back, saying, “[The DIA] presented an unfinished report. We’re discussing an event that happened just three days ago. The report was issued days after the incident.” He felt that O’Donnell was trying to tilt the narrative. “They didn’t really see what transpired. All they can do is speculate. Let’s review the images; everything near the target is scorched. It’s all underground, but even there—what’s left is a wasteland.”

Trump accused the media and O’Donnell of rushing to conclusions based on preliminary assessments. He remarked, “It could be severe, or maybe it won’t be. But people jump in and claim it’s not serious. The report was lacking detail, yet the actual context was likely broader.” Hegges chimed in, criticizing the media for allegedly attempting to distort the narrative surrounding the attacks on Iran to undermine Trump.

“There’s a reason for the president’s skepticism about the coverage,” Hegges commented. “The pilots and air crews who carried out these missions possess skills and bravery beyond what most can imagine. They don’t concern themselves with public perception.”

Returning to the conversation, Trump praised the B-2 pilot involved in the bombing and reinforced claims that the site had been “completely destroyed.” White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt stated that leaks about the “review” were inaccurate and intended to undermine Trump and the pilot’s actions.

On Tuesday, Trump described certain media outlets, including CNN and MSNBC, as “gutless losers” for suggesting that the bombing’s success had been exaggerated. Both networks had portrayed the strike as an “imperfect operation,” which Trump took issue with, citing it as an unjust assessment of the mission’s effectiveness.