Correction: The term "official" has been replaced with "employee" in the body and headline.

President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have repeatedly drawn controversy over their election-related activities. Critics have pointed to Trump's efforts around the 2026 midterms and to Hegseth's appearance in Iowa, which came amid speculation about a possible 2028 presidential campaign, as examples of conduct they say is unprofessional and, in some cases, illegal for political gain.

A former Pentagon employee is now accusing the Trump administration of applying a double standard to Hegseth's Iowa trip.

"When I was a DOD employee, I put a disclaimer out on everything I said or wrote, and never used USG resources," Tom Nichols, a retired professor from the U.S. Naval War College, posted on X on Tuesday. "Trumpers every time would call the Navy and demand I be fired for political activity anyway."

Nichols, who writes for The Atlantic, has criticized Trump repeatedly. Earlier in August, he accused the media of sane-washing Trump by failing to treat his remarks as evidence of cognitive decline, which Nichols believes they are.

“Many Americans—and much of the rest of the world—have become inured to Donald Trump’s strange rants,” The Atlantic's Tom Nichols wrote. “When he shouts about sharks, when he drones on about his brilliant uncle, when he casually ponders violating the Constitution, his supporters try to dress his statements up as some kind of strategy: He’s not lost touch with reality, you see. He’s doing the weave, or he’s owning the libs. He’s fighting the fake news and flooding the zone. He knows what he’s doing.”

He continued, “These excuses have never really held much water. But his rant yesterday about the Reflecting Pool (speaking of things that don’t hold water) was a warning that the president has encased himself in the hard amber of irrationality that inevitably surrounds authoritarian leaders. He has become detached from reality—and that detachment is extremely dangerous.”

Nichols also described Trump's speech for America's 250th anniversary as "trashy."

“I mean, it was trashy,” Nichols wrote. “The whole business was trashy. And I know that sounds — oh, that's snooty and elitist. But no, it was just trashy. And his speech was small. That's a thing. That's what I wrote about last night. He took this thing that could have been grandiose.”

The Pentagon and the White House have not yet responded to Nichols’ criticism.

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, scrutiny of administration ethics is intensifying, especially around how political activity intersects with federal roles and resources. Critics say these actions undermine democratic norms, while supporters maintain that Trump and Hegseth are simply exercising their political rights.