Donald Trump has been left red-faced after mistaking a male Army general for a woman while defending Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest military shake-up.
The gaffe came after Hegseth abruptly removed Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s top military planner, from his influential role on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The three-star general, a combat veteran who served for 32 years, was accused of misconduct for allegedly leaking classified information related to the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war.
An official also told CBS News that Sylvia had failed three polygraph tests about sharing classified information with the press; however, two other Pentagon sources disputed those accusations, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding his removal.
However, asked on Thursday about the firing of “Lt. Gen. Sylvia,” Trump appeared to assume he was female as he threatened consequences against Pentagon leakers.
“She’s got problems,” the 80-year-old president told reporters, and no one corrected him.
“She’s gonna have big problems. We’re very much looking for leakers.”
The president’s remarks came as he departed Washington for South Carolina, where he will hold another rally for embattled Senator Darline Graham, who was Trump-elevated after the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham.
The remarks sparked immediate mockery, with some citing it as another example of the 80-year-old president not always knowing what he is talking about.
“Who tf is she?” asked one observer on X.
“As usual, always on top of knowing his military leaders,” quipped another.
Sylvia is the second general Hegseth has removed from the Joint Staff’s influential J5 position. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire in October 2025.
Hegseth has also overseen a sweeping shake-up of the military’s senior ranks, with nearly two dozen generals, admirals, and other military leaders fired, forced into retirement, or otherwise departed during his tenure.
The episode adds to the pressure on the former Fox & Friends co-host, whose handling of the Iran war and conduct at the Pentagon have drawn widespread criticism from Democrats and some Republicans.
With the midterm elections next Tuesday, Democrats have also increasingly rallied around efforts to remove the defense secretary if they win control of Congress, and some are pushing impeachment as a priority.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat from Arizona, has filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth, while a separate resolution from Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky also puts the issue before the House.
But Trump defended his Pentagon chief on Thursday, telling reporters he was doing a “great job” and was a “great warrior.”
“They talk about impeaching everybody. Honestly, if we wanted to play that game we could play it just as well, but they are talking about Pete Hegseth,” the president said.
“He is doing a great job. He is a great warrior. I think he is the best at his job in many, many years and a lot of people agree with that.”
