Tom Nichols mocks the Pentagon’s Paul brothers video: “The Iranians are terrified”
Tom NicholsNational-security writer, retired professor, and former Naval War College and Harvard Extension School instructor, on his X account
Quote-posting the Defense Department’s video of the visit, national-security writer Tom Nichols wrote, “The Iranians are terrified,” mocking the Pentagon’s presentation of the brothers as a show of strength.
Responding to
The Pentagon’s presentation of Jake and Logan Paul as speakers reflected unserious institutional judgment.
“The Iranians are terrified”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Was the Pentagon right to host Jake and Logan Paul and have them address service members?
The Defense Department hosted Jake and Logan Paul at the Pentagon on September 17, 2026. The brothers toured the building, visited its September 11 memorial, briefly met Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and addressed military and civilian personnel from the Pentagon briefing room. After the department publicized the visit, critics questioned whether presenting the entertainers in an official military setting reflected sound institutional judgment. The Pentagon said it was proud to host them and expressed appreciation for their support of the military. The dispute concerns the appropriateness and symbolism of the Pentagon’s decision, not whether the visit occurred or whether the brothers violated any law.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Nichols quote-posted the Defense Department's video captioned "Last Thursday, we welcomed Logan and Jake Paul to the Pentagon to meet with our warriors," making the Pentagon's presentation of the visit the identifiable target of his remark. The post is timestamped 17:53:25 UTC.
Before the quotation
Nichols quote-posted the Defense Department’s official video showing Jake and Logan Paul speaking from the Pentagon briefing-room lectern, captioned “Last Thursday, we welcomed Logan and Jake Paul to the Pentagon to meet with our warriors.”
After the quotation
His one-line reply was sarcastic; it did not address any specific adversary’s actual reaction, and none was reported.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
On the Pentagon’s decision to host and publicly showcase the brothers addressing service members, Nichols’s sarcastic remark implies the opposite of what it states: that no adversary would be intimidated by the display, mocking it as an unserious show of strength. That is a negative judgment of the department’s choice, in the same register as Kinzinger's and DeFranco's brief mocking replies to the same video.
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- Tom Nichols mocks the Pentagon’s Paul brothers video: “The Iranians are terrified”
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The Dispute Index. "Tom Nichols mocks the Pentagon’s Paul brothers video: “The Iranians are terrified”". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1371-quote-posting-the-defense-department-s-video-of