In the abstract, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seem like the kind of Cabinet officials who’d get along. They’re both middle-aged Republicans from the Midwest. They’re both former Fox News personalities. They’re both married to women who also used to work at Fox News. They were both confirmed to important jobs they’re unqualified to hold.

Two peas in a pod, right?

As it turns out, no. The headline in Politico read, “Duffy vs. Hegseth: Friction over air safety erupts in Trump’s Cabinet.”

The months of worries about risks to safety at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport have turned into a public war of words involving the two former Fox News personalities who head President Donald Trump’s Transportation and Defense departments — until DOT Secretary Sean Duffy began trying to patch up the rift late Tuesday afternoon.

The trouble appears to have begun in earnest on Monday night, following an incident in which a military helicopter caused two commercial flights to be diverted near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Fox News’ Laura Ingraham pressed Duffy on who was responsible, and the secretary replied, “The FAA doesn’t know, we asked the DOD.”In an apparent rhetorical shot at Hegseth and his Pentagon team, Duffy added, “The DOD has promised radical transparency, they should tell us who is qualified to take a helicopter out of the Pentagon. I don’t know, but they have to tell us.”

A day later, Duffy returned to Fox News and took a softer tone, but he nevertheless reiterated that the Defense Department hadn’t provided him with the details he requested. The Hill reported:

When Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked if he had any additional information from the Pentagon about the flyover, Duffy said, “I don’t.” MacCallum noted she didn’t understand why the Pentagon “hasn’t gotten back to you on this yet. But we hope they sure do soon.” “So do I,” Duffy replied.

Ouch.

One Defense Department insider told Politico that Cabinet secretaries traditionally communicate directly when there’s an issue, but that in this “new era” of the Trump administration, they “go on Fox News.”Time will tell what becomes of this apparent conflict, but let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture. This schism comes on the heels of Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent getting into a heated shouting match at the White House. Meanwhile, Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have been at odds with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro; and Musk has also clashed with Navarro, Duffy, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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It led The Associated Press to report a couple of weeks ago, “The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty.”

As we’ve discussed, throughout American history, there have been administrations with rival factions, but those divisions usually take time. On Team Trump, the cracks are bursting into view just three months after Inauguration Day.

In theory, a strong president could intervene, resolve differences, unite his or her own team, and establish a clear vision for his or her administration to follow. In practice, however, Trump appears content to play the role of President Bystander, watching these divisions get even worse.

There’s an old expression: A fish rots from the head down. I mention this because these kinds of failure of leadership have a tendency to spread — and amid reports of tumultuous infighting at other federal agencies, there’s reason to believe it’s already spreading.

 This post updates our related earlier coverage.