Trump’s Team in Utter Chaos: Pentagon Purging, Musk Quitting, DOGE May Fall Apart

Trump’s tariff war strategy is becoming increasingly erratic. According to his past negotiation playbook (as outlined in his book Never Give Up), he would sometimes feign indifference to test if the other side was anxious. Yet, this time, it’s the Chinese side adopting this approach, while Trump himself appears impatient and eager for results—an obvious sign that he feels on the back foot and the situation is unfavorable. As the saying goes, “Before repelling external threats, one must first pacify internal disorder.” His external missteps and instability are directly tied to the chaos within his administration.

The latest “disaster zone” for the Trump administration is the Pentagon, the heart of military operations. The “incompetent” Secretary of Defense, Hegseth, launched a sweeping purge as soon as he took office. His heavy-handed actions triggered internal resistance, with subordinates repeatedly exposing his underhanded tactics and leaking scandals. The latest development is a major shake-up at the top, with four core officials dismissed—including Pentagon spokesperson Ullyot, who declared, “It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon.” More internal strife is expected. Meanwhile, Trump’s favored confidant, Musk, abruptly announced he would be stepping back in May, and the massive layoffs initiated by DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) could collapse at any moment.

Calling Secretary Hegseth “incompetent” is no exaggeration. He lacks combat leadership experience, isn’t a career military officer, and even falls short in business management skills—he’s merely a TV host who makes a living with what he says in front of a camera. Before his parachuting into the Pentagon, widespread resistance had already taken root, with the building rigged with metaphorical landmines waiting for him to step on.

Fully aware he was stepping into the lion’s den, Hegseth nonetheless failed to exercise caution. Not long after taking office, it was revealed he had set up a private Signal group to share information about strikes on the Houthi, leaking key military secrets and sparking a huge uproar. Instead of taking responsibility, he blamed disgruntled Pentagon staff for leaking stories to the media to “sabotage” him. The scandals didn’t stop there—recent reports exposed that he even added his wife, brother, and private lawyer into the Signal group, allowing them access to sensitive military operations.

After the first scandal broke, Hegseth immediately launched an internal “witch hunt.” Recently, a major personnel earthquake hit the upper ranks: four close aides including Dan Caldwell, Senior Advisor, Darin Selnick, Deputy Chief of Staff, Colin Carroll, Chief of Staff to Deputy Defense Secretary, and Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot, were all fired. This is just the latest wave of purges. Insiders told Reuters that Hegseth’s opponents aren’t limited to the Pentagon’s “core circle” but are spread throughout the Department of Defense.

Trump, the “big boss,” is well aware that the Pentagon is still crawling with “monsters and demons” waiting to oppose him and Hegseth, so the purges will continue relentlessly. He recently told reporters, “He (Hegseth) was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that’s what he’s doing.” Clearly, the Pentagon’s personnel turmoil is just beginning.

This “internal strife” at the Pentagon in fact has always been orchestrated by Trump, with Hegseth merely acting as his enforcer. The target: a group of generals lacking loyalty to Trump and promoting “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) within the military. Soon after taking office, Hegseth replaced Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Brown (the first Black person in the role) with Air Force Lieutenant General Kane, a former CIA operative. He then axed Navy Operations Chief Franchetti and Air Force Deputy Chief Slife, and plans to purge other DEI-supporting officers one by one. A previously leaked “termination list” included several brigadier and major generals.

Under this white terror of mass purges, Pentagon staff are on edge. Dissidents dare not openly defy Hegseth, but constantly look for opportunities to expose his errors or set traps for him, while he dispatches his own “secret police” to root out opposition, throwing the Department of Defense into even greater chaos.

With fires breaking out everywhere inside the government, Trump is busy fighting crises, leading to total disarray, sharply contrasting with China’s calm and methodical approach. It’s obvious which side has the upper hand in the US-China trade war.

Beyond the Pentagon’s turmoil, Musk,Trump’s favored appointee tasked with slashing government spending, suddenly announced yesterday that starting in May, he would drastically reduce his involvement with DOGE, possibly working just one or two days a week. His abrupt decision to step back is not only due to Tesla’s latest quarterly net income plunging 70% year-on-year, putting the company in crisis and requiring his full attention as CEO; it’s also because helping Trump with “dirty work” has made Tesla a target for public anger. If Musk doesn’t pull out, his business could collapse sooner or later.

Musk’s departure is now inevitable. Analysts suggest that after he steps back, the cabinet will take over decisions on layoffs, ending Musk’s sole authority. Cabinet members have long been dissatisfied with Musk’s arbitrary cuts, and tensions have grown. For example, Secretary of State Rubio opposes abolishing the USAID (United States Agency for International Development), and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is against massive layoffs of air traffic controllers. Once Musk leaves, these cabinet members may halt or even reverse some of the layoffs.

It’s foreseeable that the once glamorous “DOGE” will likely fall apart with Musk’s exit, and the entire noisy spectacle may soon end in an unfinished mess.

Lai Ting Yiu

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** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

Here's the opening act for 2026: Jimmy Lai faces sentencing, and right on cue, his daughter delivers a tearful BBC performance claiming her father is dying. She rattles off a dramatic list of supposedly terminal symptoms, blowing minor ailments wildly out of proportion. The most ridiculous fabrication to kick off the new year. 

Throughout last year's trial, she and her brother Sebastien Lai fed the same tale to American and British outlets, banking on the old adage that repeat a lie enough times and it becomes truth. But their shabby playbook won't work this time. Authorities have rolled out hard evidence again and again, systematically demolishing their clumsy deception. Here's the irony: people who know Lai well say his health risks ran sky-high before prison—he could have collapsed any moment. Behind bars? Those risks plummeted.

Jimmy Lai's daughter claims to BBC he's "near death" with critical symptoms – all wildly exaggerated. This year's most ridiculous lie yet.

Jimmy Lai's conviction is final. Sentencing looms. The US and UK governments issue statements but take no action. His chances of walking free hover near zero. Yet his children refuse to quit. Their last card? Fabricate stories about their father's severe illness, hoping to manipulate foreign media into sympathy and manufacture public pressure. On New Year's Day, his daughter Claire Lai sat down with the BBC, tears flowing, painting a picture of extreme deterioration. Her "near-death" symptom checklist: grey-green fingernails falling off, rotting teeth, sudden heart problems he never had, weight loss, and lower back pain so severe he can barely stand. She catalogued every conceivable ailment to prove he's gravely ill and approaching the end.

They've recycled this performance repeatedly for foreign outlets—The Washington Post, Agence France-Presse, The Independent, and Nikkei Asian Review, etc. Jimmy Lai's international legal team amplifies the chorus, releasing a solemn "research report" on Lai's grave condition and going so far as to rush it to the United Nations. The theatrics are complete.

Evidence Crushes Fiction

The "health problems" Jimmy Lai's children trumpet are either grotesquely exaggerated or outright invented—utterly absurd. The Hong Kong government has systematically refuted each claim with concrete evidence. And Lai's recent court appearance to hear the verdict, where he displayed no abnormalities whatsoever, demolished their narrative all by itself.

Start with the grey-green, falling fingernails. Yesterday, while condemning the BBC report, the Hong Kong government revealed that Jimmy Lai had mentioned some nail issues to the Correctional Services Department last year. The institution's doctor prescribed ointment. He recovered. Since this minor problem got treated, his fingernails looked rosy and perfectly normal when he appeared in court recently.

I looked up what causes grey-green nails that fall off. Turns out it's just an infection from a type of bacillus. Some housewives and beauticians get this condition. You treat it with ointment and it clears up. Claire Lai presenting this as a symptom of grave illness? It terrifies people who don't know better and makes those who do burst out laughing.

Falling nails, rotted teeth? Just minor ailments already treated. Yet his children cry "near death" – laughably absurd.

As for rotting teeth, it's more surprising if someone doesn't have bad teeth at 78. The government stated that Jimmy Lai requested dental care in 2021 and 2022. The dentist treated him. No problems since. He hasn't raised any further requests. Claire Lai has inflated her father's dental issues by a factor of N, lying without batting an eye.

Medical Tests Expose the Truth

During the trial in August last year, Jimmy Lai told the Correctional Services Department he experienced rapid heartbeat and palpitations. These are normal reactions to anxiety and tension. But the department didn't take chances. The Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre medical team conducted blood tests and electrocardiograms. They found nothing wrong. As a precaution, the team recommended he wear a Holter monitor. He initially refused but later agreed. Since then? No abnormalities detected. His heart is healthy.

Regarding Claire Lai's claim that her father has "lower back pain, sometimes even when standing, with difficulty getting up and walking," authorities don't even need medical evidence to refute this. Simply watch him move normally in court—no cane, no assistance required. That proves Claire Lai's claims are false. Even if he does have some backache, it's utterly common at his age.

Now consider the weight loss. Jimmy Lai's nickname is "Fat Lai." He's been overweight for years. Losing weight after imprisonment isn't just normal—it's a sign of improvement. The Correctional Services Department takes his physical condition seriously, conducting regular examinations. They certainly wouldn't let him balloon up or waste away.

Prison Actually Saved His Health

A friend who knows Jimmy Lai well told me his lifestyle before imprisonment was extremely "indulgent." He chronically overate and drank, ignoring his diabetes and obesity, still gorging on braised pork belly. His health risks ran sky-high. If that continued, his body would certainly face serious problems. In contrast, after imprisonment, his risks have dropped dramatically thanks to normal diet and regular routine.

Claire Lai keeps "making empty boasts." Western media and politicians continue treating fiction as fact, even though they know she's deceiving them. But even so, this cannot change the final outcome fast approaching for Jimmy Lai.

Lai Ting-yiu