The “Deep State” is to blame for the chaos at the Pentagon that may cost Pete Hegseth his job, the embattled defense secretary said during a bizarre “Fox & Friends” appearance Tuesday morning.

When “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Hegseth what role the so-called “Deep State” has played in efforts to undermine him, the defense secretary said Washington, D.C. insiders have had it in for him since his confirmation.

“They’ve come after me from Day 1, just like they came after President Trump. I’ve gotten a fraction of what President Trump got in that first term. What he’s endured is superhuman. It’s not hard for me to do this job,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has been under scrutiny since it was revealed he discussed attack plans against Houthi rebels in Yemen in a group chat that included a magazine editor.

“Once a leaker, always a leaker, often a leaker,” Hegseth said. “I don’t have time for leakers. I don’t have time for the hoax press that peddles old stories from disgruntled employees.”

On Sunday, The New York Times reported Hegseth divulged similar plans in a Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal attorney.

Hegseth has denied sharing “war plans” or disseminating confidential information, blaming the scandals on those “trying to get at President Trump and his agenda.”

“What was shared over Signal – then and now, however you characterize it – was informal, unclassified, coordination,” Hegseth said.

On Monday, President Donald Trump backed Hegseth publicly, even as National Public Radio reported the White House was vetting potential Pentagon replacements.

Hegseth said on “Fox & Friends” that he was tapped by Trump “to bring warfighting and the warfighting ethos back to the Pentagon. To rip out the insidious ideologies and not compromise and not back down … we haven’t backed down,” Hegseth said.

“See, here’s the thing. A lot of people come to Washington and they just play the game. They punch their ticket and get along to go along and start doing “Meet the Press “ and going to the Council on Foreign Relations and spending time with all the new cocktail-sipping crowd,” he continued.

“That’s not why I’m here. I’m here because President Trump asked me to bring warfighting back to the Pentagon – every single day that is our focus,” Hegseth said. “And if people don’t like it, they can come after me. No worries. I’m standing right here. The warfighters are behind us. Our enemies know they’re on notice. Our allies know we’re behind them. And that, in this dangerous world, for the American people, are what it’s all about.”