By Richard Martin, Chief Strategist, Alcera Consulting Inc.
The Signalgate affair has thrown a spotlight on Pete Hegseth’s position as Secretary of Defense—and on President Trump’s decision to stand by him, unshaken. The instinct of many commentators has been to ask: why? Why cling to a figure embroiled in controversy when others would cut ties?
The answer, increasingly, is this: because the issue isn’t performance—it’s belief.
Movements Don’t Govern. They March.
This isn’t just a cabinet appointment gone sideways. It’s a symptom of something deeper: the White House doesn’t operate like a traditional government. It behaves like a movement in power. And movements don’t tolerate divergence. They value those who walk in lockstep—not merely outwardly, but in terms of shared instincts, shared enemies, and shared perception of what’s real.
This logic is not new. In other times and places, it’s been called coordination or mise au pas—a forced harmonization of thought and behaviour. But in this case, it’s less overt. It doesn’t require coercion. It works through emotional rhythm and worldview entrainment. You don’t just follow the leader’s orders—you feel what the leader feels before they speak. You “work towards the leader.”
Those who can’t do that eventually leave—or are expelled.
Failure Is Not Weakness or Incompetence. It’s Proof You’re Fighting.
In this kind of system, mistakes and misfires aren’t disqualifying. They’re proof of engagement. The logic goes something like this: If you’re not making enemies, upsetting norms, or provoking outrage, then you’re not trying hard enough.
This is why actual failure—policy flops, tactical blunders, even public embarrassments—isn’t treated as a reason for doubt. On the contrary, it’s treated as a kind of initiation by fire. What matters is that you’re loyal, that you push forward, that you don’t break the line.
This dynamic rewards zeal over caution, and aggression over nuance. The battlefield is not just political—it’s metaphysical. And in war, fidelity counts more than finesse.
The Weaponization of Denial
This also explains the bald-faced lies, the denial of facts, and the constant reframing of blame. In movement logic, truth is not an objective reference point. It is a strategic tool. To lie boldly is not to deceive the world, but to demonstrate that your loyalty to the movement’s version of reality outweighs your attachment to empirical detail.
Gaslighting becomes a form of combat—not an error, but a tactic. Projection—blaming your opponents for your own sins—is a way to claim narrative territory. The goal isn’t to clarify. It’s to dominate the interpretive space. Whoever controls the story controls the outcome.
Signalgate as Sorting Ritual
Seen in this light, Signalgate is not about violations of procedure or failure of discipline. It’s a sorting ritual—a moment where those who belong and those who don’t become visible. Those who flinch, doubt, or attempt to reintroduce nuance are out of step. They’re out of rhythm. And the movement corrects.
What looks from the outside like chaos or dysfunction is, on the inside, a process of epistemic purification. If you’re not fully aligned, you will eventually exclude yourself—or be excluded.
Conclusion: Walking the Line Means Seeing the World the Same Way
Hegseth stays, not because he’s untouchable, but because he’s attuned. He reacts the way Trump would react. He believes the same things, fears the same enemies, tells the same story. He works toward Trump. In a system organized not around law but around belief, that kind of resonance is the highest currency.
In the movement mindset, the greatest sin isn’t failure. It’s hesitation. The worst offence isn’t lying. It’s wavering. And the true measure of loyalty isn’t behaviour—it’s cognitive and emotional mirroring.
About the Author
Richard Martin is the founder and president of Alcera Consulting Inc., a strategic advisory firm specializing in exploiting change (www.exploitingchange.com). Richard’s mission is to empower top-level leaders to exercise strategic foresight, navigate uncertainty, drive transformative change, and build individual and organizational resilience, ensuring market dominance and excellence in public governance. He is the author of Brilliant Manoeuvres: How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles. He is also the developer of Worldview Warfare and Strategic Epistemology, a groundbreaking methodology that focuses on understanding beliefs, values, and strategy in a world of conflict, competition, and cooperation.
© 2025 Richard Martin
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