Pete Hegseth Faces Broad Mockery
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced widespread online ridicule after video footage surfaced showing him struggling to keep up with military personnel during an intensive physical training session. Hegseth, 46, visited the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday following its extended operational deployment across the Middle East. On that same day, he joined US Marines in San Diego for an early morning workout, where video recordings captured service members outpacing him during a run while he trailed conspicuously behind the formation. Additional footage revealed that after completing a set of pull-ups, Hegseth appeared out of breath and remained behind exchanging high-fives as the rest of the troops sprinted ahead to their next exercise drill. The performance triggered swift mockery across social media platforms, especially given that Hegseth had previously championed restoring a "warrior spirit" within the military and announced mandatory testosterone screening for service personnel over the age of thirty. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, known for lampooning members of Donald Trump's administration, ridiculed Hegseth by humorously dubbing him the war secretary and hair styling mousse. Kimmel joked about Hegseth traveling to San Diego to greet the long-suffering crew of the Lincoln, waving a pocket square from the dock, while also criticizing him over the double extension of the warship's mission following its engagement with Iran. Backlash also mounted from within Hegseth's own political party. Former Republican congresswoman Barbara Comstock questioned who was actually working to protect American troops and end conflicts, quipping that someone should find Hegseth a job at a MAGA fitness gym. Adam Kinzinger, one of ten House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in January 2021, shared the running footage and mockingly wrote: "Hello there Pete Hegseth." Meanwhile, The Lincoln Project recalled Hegseth's past remarks insisting the military shouldn't have fat, bearded, or weird personnel, posting on X: "Thought you said no fat people? Pete Hegseth."
