Hegseth ridiculed after failing to keep up with his own troops on training exercise
Por Owen Scott — – World RSS Feed
Hegseth ridiculed after failing to keep up with his own troops on training exercise
Jimmy Kimmel dubbed Hegseth ‘our secretary of war and styling mousse’ after footage emerged of the military workout
Owen Scott Thursday 08 October 2026 14:45 BST
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been mocked online after failing to keep up with members of the military during a training exercise.
The 46-year-old former Fox and Friends Weekend host visited the USS Abraham Lincoln Wednesday following its long deployment to the Middle East.
That same day, he joined marines in San Diego for a morning workout. Footage from the event showed service members charging ahead as they jogged, with Hegseth noticeably trailing behind them.
At one point, after doing pull-ups, the other troops can be seen racing off to their next workout while a seemingly breathless Hegseth hangs back and high-fives those around him.
open image in galleryHegseth, who has previously declared that he wants to infuse the military with a “warrior ethos” and has announced mandatory testosterone screening for personnel over the age of 30, was soon ridiculed online for his performance during the workout.
Late night host Jimmy Kimmel, who has long poked fun at members of President Trump’s cabinet, took aim at the secretary on Wednesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“Our secretary of war and styling mousse, Pete Hegseth, was in San Diego today to personally greet the long-suffering crew of the USS Lincoln,” Kimmel joked. “Pretty Pete was right there waving his pocket square from the dock, welcoming our sailors home.”
Kimmel also took a swipe at Hegseth over the twice-extended deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has played a major role in the U.S.’s war with Iran.
open image in gallery“And so, after almost seven months at sea, where they were attacked, they were hungry, they were miserable, there were multiple suicide attempts, they all just wanted to get back to their families,” Kimmel began.
“But first, they had a workout – a group workout for a Fox News photo op with their leader, a man wearing shorts and more makeup than Kylie Jenner.”
The criticism even came from former members of Hegseth’s own party, with ex-Representative Barbara Comstock writing: “Who is working on protecting our troops and bring (sic) an end to the war?”
“Get this loser @PeteHegseth a job at a MAGA gym,” she added.
open image in galleryAdam Kinzinger, one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump back in January 2021, simply tagged Hegseth in a video showing him lagging behind the other runners.
“Hey there @PeteHegseth,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, The Lincoln Project, a PAC founded by Republicans opposed to Trump, pointed to an infamous speech by Hegseth in which he declared that he wanted “no fatties,” or “beardos” or “weirdos” in the military.
“I thought you said no fatties? @PeteHegseth,” a spokesperson for the account wrote on X.
More about
Pete HegsethMiddle EastSan DiegoJimmy KimmelFox NewsDonald TrumpIran
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