The night before Donald Trump was snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize, his self-titled “war secretary,” Pete Hegseth, delivered a jaw-dropping ode to his boss—bragging that Trump was willing to “drop bombs” on people’s heads.
The remark came during the “Celebrating American Exceptionalism” black-tie gala, held Thursday night at the Kennedy Center, which is now MAGA-friendly after the president’s reshuffling of the board and programming.
The event, hosted by the conservative political nonprofit Nestpoint Foundation, honored Hegseth with The Great American Exceptionalism Award and drew a star-spangled lineup of Trumpworld figures, including Fox News host turned podcaster Megyn Kelly, former Trump White House press secretary Sean Spicer, and right-wing influencer Mike Cernovich.
Hegseth heaped praise on Trump, according to Politico, declaring: “He breaks everybody’s brain and puts it back together again, creating opportunities, moving the Overton window in ways that were never possible before, and creating things that put ourselves and our allies first in pursuit of peace, because he’s willing to drop bombs on the heads of Houthis to keep shipping lanes open.”
The bizarre mix of bellicose rhetoric and black-tie glamour captured the new tone under Trump’s influence at the reimagined Kennedy Center, which now serves as a showcase for MAGA-friendly “patriot” galas.
Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner also picked up an award, receiving the Nestpoint Foundation’s Excellence in Journalism honor. “Harris Faulkner exemplifies the very best of who we are—a nation of leaders, dreamers, and doers,” Nestpoint founder John Thomas said.
“The free press is the linchpin of democracy, and we rely on journalists like Harris to keep the story of American exceptionalism alive for generations to come.”
In its mission statement, Nestpoint described the gala as a gathering to “exalt the essence of American exceptionalism.”
A promotional note ahead of the event touted it as an “exclusive, invitation-only” affair meant to “bring together leaders from diverse fields, including legal immigrants, sports icons, tech innovators, civic heroes, and government trailblazers.”
But for all the patriotic trimmings, the night’s tone remained unmistakably Trumpian. Hours before the gala, Hegseth lavished similar praise on Trump during a Cabinet meeting, telling him: “It is a personal honor to witness how you lead and negotiate… With your strength, your ability to wield trade negotiations, personal relationships, to open up that opportunity is truly historic on the world stage.”
By the time Hegseth took the Kennedy Center stage, that devotion had reached full throttle and, hours later, Trump was overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize in favor of María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan democracy campaigner.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the Daily Beast.
