The MAGAfied Pentagon press corps delivered some hard-hitting journalism from the road on Friday.
Far-right influencer Laura Loomer thirsted over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as he trained in the cold with ROTC cadets at UCLA, sharing videos of the workout on social media.
“LET’S GET PHYSICAL! I am up bright and early this morning freezing my a-- off with Secretary of War @SecWar Pete Hegseth at @UCLA, where he is doing PT with the ROTC,” Loomer posted to X. “It’s 42 degrees outside and our Sec War is wearing gym shorts and a T-shirt in the freezing cold working out with young American patriots!”
Loomer, 32, is part of the Pentagon’s newly credentialed pro-Trump “reporters” after Hegseth pushed out traditional journalists who refused to sign a pledge that required them to have information approved for release by the DOD, even if the information was already unclassified.
The President Donald Trump sycophant, who has become an unofficial White House adviser this term, shared multiple clips of Hegseth from the pre-sunrise PT.
Along with a video of Hegseth shaking the hands of cadets, she wrote, “Find yourself a Secretary of War who can drag South American dictators out of their compounds and also do PT with ROTC at 5:30 in the morning in 42° weather.”
“This is one of the reasons why under President Trump’s administration with @PeteHegseth serving as Sec War, we have seen a 49 year record high in military recruitment in the US military,” she wrote with another clip.
While military recruitment has increased, it is not at a 49-year high like Loomer suggests.
A third video showed Hegseth descending stairs with cadets.
“Does anyone have video footage of Lloyd Austin doing PT with ROTC at 5:30 in the morning when it’s 42° outside?” she wrote.
Those posts came a day after Loomer posed in front of a U.S. Air Force jet used by Hegseth.
Loomer revealed that she was set to take her first trip with Hegseth “as a new member of the Pentagon Press Corps.”
Their West Coast visit comes three weeks after Trump accidentally revealed Loomer is engaged—though her mystery man’s name remains unknown.
Loomer’s drooling over Hegseth comes at a time when important questions need to be asked of the defense secretary. Earlier Friday morning, Trump announced on Truth Social that he was canceling a planned “second wave” of attacks in Venezuela.
“However, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes,” he added, suggesting that an attack could still be launched if he feels Venezuela is not doing as he pleases.
Hegseth and Trump have also not ruled out using military force to seize Greenland from Denmark, a U.S. ally whose prime minister has said that any action against the Nordic nation will mark the end of NATO itself.
Trump, 79, has also made veiled threats against Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba. He has also said he intends to take control of the Panama Canal from Panama.
