Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth can’t stop pumping iron as U.S. warships head towards the Middle East.
Hegseth, self-titled the “Secretary of War,” posted another workout video from Fort Campbell, complete with an audience of clapping service members, on Friday evening. The defense secretary’s third wife, Jennifer, could be seen in the background, clapping for husband. The video follows several other videos of the top military official’s fitness regimen posted this week.
“.@SECWAR checking in—AGAIN!” the Defense Department posted.
The newest post included a video of Hegseth attempting to bench press an unknown amount of weight. After the weight was re-racked, Hegseth stood as the young soldiers around him hyped up the 45-year-old defense secretary, giving him handshakes and fist bumps.
“Our forces will be FIT — NOT FAT,” a Saturday post from the Defense Department said. The post included a video with more shots of Hegseth working out with the troops and delivering speeches to his former unit.
Social media users widely criticized Hegseth for focusing more on the gym than on the threat of President Donald Trump starting a war in Iran.
Tom Nichols, staff writer at the Atlantic, wrote on X, “I can hear the laughter all the way from Moscow.”
“Is there somebody doing the actual job while he goes around working out all day?” one X user questioned.
“Secretary of social media checking in again. Why is a 45 year old man so desperate to be a social media influencer,” another wrote.
Others criticized his form on the bench press.
“Who the f -- k benches with bumper plates?” one user observed. Bumper plates are coated in rubber with a steel base; they are designed to be dropped. Olympic plates are more commonly used for bench presses.
It was the second time on Friday that the defense secretary showed himself working out with young members of the military.
He posted a similar one earlier on Friday, showing him doing an ab workout and hitting cardio on a bike.
Trump has been weighing a strike on Iran amid ongoing nuclear talks with the country. Over the past few months, the military has substantially increased its presence at bases in the region. The U.S. now has a strong naval and air presence across the Middle East.
Still, the threat of war doesn’t seem to be weighing on the defense secretary too much this week. Hegseth was seen hanging from a tree in flip-flops with Dr. Oz at his Palm Beach, Florida home, earlier this week.
Throughout his time leading the largest military in the world, the former Fox News weekend host turned defense secretary has posted many videos of himself working out. Earlier this week, Hegseth berated his 15-year-old son for nearly ruining a different workout video as the defense secretary attempted to bench press with the Navy.
Last year, he was widely mocked for posting a video of himself doing push-ups and pull-ups with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in what the pair calls "The Pete and Bobby Challenge."
