Fox’s Baier Expresses Surprise Over Trump Official’s Resignation

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation following months of reported disagreements with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a consequential departure that caught Fox News anchor Bret Baier by surprise.

The White House confirmed Monday that Driscoll is stepping down after approximately 18 months as the Army’s top civilian official. He is expected to leave the position effective Thursday, Sept. 3.

Driscoll’s resignation comes amid reports that he opposed several of Hegseth’s personnel decisions, including the removal of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and other senior officers connected to the service’s modernization efforts.

The White House did not publicly attribute Driscoll’s departure to those disagreements.

Instead, administration spokesperson Anna Kelly praised him as “highly effective in advancing President Trump’s agenda to Make America Strong Again.”

Kelly credited Driscoll with providing leadership during major military operations, restoring the Army’s focus on readiness and lethality and assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

“His service has ensured that the United States Army is more powerful than ever,” the White House said.

Driscoll’s resignation nevertheless represents a significant leadership change at the Pentagon.

He was considered one of the administration’s leading advocates for modernizing the Army’s weapons-acquisition system, expanding the use of drones and artificial intelligence and pressuring major defense contractors to deliver equipment more quickly and affordably.

Sources familiar with his decision told multiple outlets that Driscoll believed some of those modernization initiatives were being obstructed. He also reportedly became increasingly concerned about the disruption caused by Hegseth’s removal of senior Army commanders.

The reported tensions eventually led Driscoll to take his concerns directly to President Donald Trump.

No public evidence indicates that Trump requested Driscoll’s resignation, and the White House’s complimentary statement suggests the administration wants to recognize his service rather than turn the departure into an acrimonious public split.

News of the resignation broke during Monday’s edition of Fox News’ “Special Report.”

“And Jen, we’re just getting word now that the U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has tendered his resignation,” Baier said to Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin.

“Well, it’s not surprising,” Griffin responded.

“He’s a close ally of Vice President Vance, has been butting heads with Secretary Hegseth for months now,” she continued.

Griffin said Driscoll had disagreed with Hegseth’s decision to remove several senior Army leaders, which she characterized as contributing to “a bit of a brain drain in the Army.”

Baier appeared more surprised by the timing.

“Thought he was gonna stay until after the midterms and run, maybe, Vice President Vance’s campaign,” Baier replied, referring to speculation surrounding a potential Vance presidential campaign in 2028.

Driscoll and Vance attended Yale Law School together and have remained close political allies.

An Army veteran who deployed to Iraq, Driscoll later worked in business and Republican politics. He advised Trump’s 2024 campaign before being nominated to serve as Army secretary.

Trump described Driscoll at the time as a “disruptor and change agent” capable of overhauling a military bureaucracy frequently criticized for slow procurement, wasteful spending and resistance to technological change.

Driscoll was confirmed by the Senate in February 2025.

His departure creates an immediate leadership challenge for the Army.

Gen. Christopher LaNeve has been serving as acting chief of staff since George’s removal. Once Driscoll leaves, Army Undersecretary Michael Obadal is expected to become the service’s highest-ranking civilian official.

The result is that the Army will temporarily lack a Senate-confirmed leader in either its top civilian or uniformed position during an especially demanding period for the military.

Driscoll’s resignation is more consequential than the departure of Ron Moeller, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategic readiness who announced last week that he was returning home after approximately one year at the Pentagon.

Moeller said he had promised his family he would serve for only one year and made clear that he did not intend to attack Hegseth or the Trump administration after leaving government.

“I intend to go back to the Black Hills, recharge, chop lots of firewood for the winter, and ignore any and all journalists trying to get me to talk about my time in this historic and consequential administration,” Moeller wrote.

Driscoll’s exit appears different.

Although he has not publicly criticized Trump or Hegseth, reporting from several outlets describes substantive disagreements over Army leadership, modernization and the removal of senior officers.

That does not necessarily mean the Pentagon is descending into the crisis portrayed by Trump’s political opponents. Presidents and defense secretaries are entitled to replace military leaders and appoint officials who share their strategic priorities.

But Driscoll was not a holdover from a previous administration or an ideological opponent of Trump. He was a Trump appointee, a trusted Vance ally and a veteran whom the president selected specifically to transform the Army.

His departure therefore raises legitimate questions about whether Hegseth’s leadership changes are advancing that transformation or making it harder to complete.

It also puts additional pressure on the administration to identify permanent nominees for the Army’s top civilian and uniformed positions.

For now, Driscoll has not announced his next move. Baier’s remark will inevitably fuel speculation that the outgoing secretary could reemerge as a senior figure in Vance’s political operation ahead of 2028.