At least six different anti–Iran war protesters were removed from the Association of the United States Army conference on Wednesday for interrupting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during his remarks on a drone panel.
One protester could be heard shouting about “pulling children’s body parts out from under the rubble” before being escorted out. She was also holding a “No War With Iran” banner, according to The Washington Sun’s Joe Gould. Hegseth waited calmly while she was removed. “She thinks highly of me,” he joked.
wow -- Hegseth's talk at a conference is disrupted four separate times in succession by anti-Iran war protesters https://t.co/kIS6pJsB0l
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 14, 2026
Another protester interrupted him just seconds after.
“You’re not a warrior, you’re a coward!” they screamed. “Why are you all here making money off of bombs killing my family? What the fuck is wrong with all of you?”
Hegseth attempted to continue on, but was interrupted yet again.
“How many children [have to be killed] in Palestine and Gaza—,” a protester yelled, before masculine chants of “USA! USA!” drowned them out.
A sixth person was just removed during Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's remarks at the Association of the United States Army 2026 conference in Washington, DC. "You're a f---ing war criminal. You're a f---ing Nazi," the man says as he's removed. https://t.co/2rV8WleQO7
— Task & Purpose (@TaskandPurpose) October 14, 2026
“We spend $1.5 trillion on war…. We’re spending more money killing children in Gaza when children in America are starving!” yelled yet another protester. Those onstage with Hegseth mused that it was a “semi-coordinated effort.”
“He’s a war criminal! You are all, all to blame!”
“The world fucking hates you!” said the sixth protester. “We fucking hate you! You’re a fucking war criminal, you’re a Nazi! You should be ashamed of yourself!” he said.
Hegseth and those sharing the stage with him framed these protests as a “coordinated effort” to delegitimize what they were saying. But even still, the vast majority of Americans (65 percent) disapprove of the Trump administration’s handling of the war on Iran—as do the soldiers who were forced to remain on aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea for months on end.
Trump and Hegseth’s war has cost Americans about $45 billion so far—about $2,000 per household, according to CNN. Most groups have the Iranian death toll of this war at around 3,000 people, with nearly 400 of them being children.