Donald Trump may have used his Veterans Day address as a barometer for filtering through potential nominees for his upcoming Cabinet.
The president’s remarks should have paid tribute to the men and women who have served in the U.S. military.
Instead, his words underscored that Trump is aware one senior figure in his inner circle has become one of the public’s most reviled appointees.
The politician leaned on a podium at Arlington National Cemetery just outside of Washington, slurring his words, and appeared pale and winded.
His fatigued voice wandered through reflections about the service members in the audience before him.
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Trump turned his attention to the man responsible for overseeing the country’s defense policies and military and introduced “the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth.”
Trump rebranded the Department of Defense as the Department of War last September. The shift is primarily acknowledged by the president and his administration.
Ideally, Hegseth’s introduction should have provoked a roar of applause, considering his veteran status. He served 18 years in the U.S. Army National Guard.
Cheers and applause erupted at first, but murmurs of boos soon followed.
“I had a feeling that was going to happen,” Trump said. He downplayed the embarrassment with one line. “He’s done a fantastic job, but he loves you. He protects you. He’s all about you,” the president said.
Hegseth, however, puffed his cheeks out with a tight-lipped smirk, looked down at his hands, then back up toward his boss.
“Look at Kegsbreath’s face. He’s so pissed he wants to cry!” an X user tweeted.
One Threads user commented, “If Pete doesn’t realise how he is hated now, it is definitely time he took a long walk.”
A third critic said, “That will get to Trump and he will abandon him.” “He took a moment to acknowledge the boos because it wasn’t him this time,” added a fourth person.
Hegseth faced eight articles of impeachment on Nov. 10. Republicans voted 211-204 to block the effort.
The secretary called the motion “partisan policy disagreements from people who want to politicize our military.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was giving Hegseth an “A PLUS PLUS PLUS” for defending himself against the impeachment. He also snarked that the Democrats “miserably FAILED.”
The president’s second term has been underway for nearly two years, and major staffing shakeups have made headlines.
Trump fired Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in March. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was axed in April, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stepped down in August.
Katie Zacharia took over the role for a week before Trump gave her the boot ahead of the midterm elections.
Trump recently dismissed chief of staff Susie Wiles. He promoted Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller after Republicans suffered a major setback in the blue wave.
Hegseth’s dwindling approval has worsened with the U.S.-Iran war. Veterans Day amplified the widespread frustrations.
Before Trump’s speech, the secretary took group photos on the steps of Arlington Cemetery.
Cameras captured the moment a soldier yelled, “All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and pay respect at all times!” at Hegseth and his laughing crew.
A reaction read, “Listening to the soldier chastise them is so soothing. Professional ‘shut the f–k up!’”
Several people suspect officials will reprimand the service member for his corrective actions. Those comments included, “Give this guard a raise. Hegseth will try to fire him.”
Sweeping terminations at the Pentagon and accusations that Hegseth denies soldiers promotions based on gender and race have contributed to the secretary’s unflattering reputation.
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