Yesterday we covered the latest manufactured outrage to come from the TDS Left, including many Democrats and the usual propagandists in the hack media. The story about the Pentagon under Pete Hegseth spending a lot of money on crab legs, lobster, steak and other treats for the troops was supposed to send taxpayers into pearl clutching mode, but it's backfired and made the Dems and assorted Trump haters look even dumber and more dishonest than previously thought.
This was the story:
😳 Pete Hegseth blew billions on shellfish, steak, fruit baskets and furniture.
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 10, 2026
Read more: https://t.co/eh8qa4CODH pic.twitter.com/F4NVYRXWUn
Naturally the Left and TDSers, including Adam Kinzinger, ate that up. They couldn't pass up another opportunity to slam the Trump administration. But the real headline, which is "SecWar Hegseth treated the troops to surf & turf," makes the Left look like the clowns that they are.
Journalist (an actual one, not a propagandist like so many others who falsely describe themselves as journos) Salena Zito dismantled the latest outrage cycle and has dropped another MOAB on the latest narrative:
TMZ followed by several different other "news" sites (I use that term lightly) published a story with this all caps headline "PETE HEGSETH
— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) March 12, 2026
BLEW BILLION$ ON FRUIT BASKETS, LOBSTER" accompanied by a photo with him, surrounded by a bunch of plastic lobsters.
If you've never… pic.twitter.com/lz5p9zDiNm
Here's the full post from @ZitoSalena:
TMZ followed by several different other "news" sites (I use that term lightly) published a story with this all caps headline "PETE HEGSETH BLEW BILLION$ ON FRUIT BASKETS, LOBSTER" accompanied by a photo with him, surrounded by a bunch of plastic lobsters.
If you've never covered the military, or served, or if you don't have any family or friends in the military this would seem like a shocking story. But it's not--not even remotely. It is a common practice for our country to provide these special meals to our service men and women at least once a week--Has been for decades.
I did my due diligence to prove my point to anyone who doubts my accuracy -- in 2009 when Robert Gates was the secretary defense during the Obama administration I present you with a story from a reporter who was embedded with the soldiers in Afghanistan. "The lobsters and crab legs are shipped from the United States and driven down on a refrigerated truck from Bagram. On seafood night, the crew serves up 400 of the tasty tails, 130 pounds of Alaskan King crab legs, and 135 pounds each of shrimp and scallops."
Here is the link: https://dvidshub.net/news/519652/reporters-notebook-eatin-good-afghanistan
And here is a story from 2024 when Lloyd Austin was the secretary of defense and Joe Biden was the president of the United States. "The military spent $103.7 million on meat, fish and poultry, including $16.6 million on ribeye steak and 147 orders of lobster tail for $6.1 million. Orders of blueberries, ice cream and doughnuts also exceeded $100,000."
I am once again disappointed with the lack of balance and context in my profession. Deeply embarrassed and disappointed in members of Congress, who were tweeting this out. Why? Well because how is it that they don't know this? You may or may not like who is the current president of the United States, but your obsession should not make something that is both a norm but also a show of gratefulness for our soldiers, an outrage to satisfy your unhappiness
The Left's too invested in their TDS to actually care about reality:
You have the receipts, but the left absolutely will not care. They already have their preferred narrative and nothing will dissuade them from presenting it, facts be damned.
— Physics Geek (@physicsgeek) March 12, 2026
We're not expecting ANY media outlets to put out follow-up stories that say, "actually this kind of spending for the military isn't rare or isolated to the Trump administration." Many of them knew exactly what they were doing when they spread that BS around.
*****
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives, all while carrying water for the Dems and lying on their behalf.
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