Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, attend the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 21, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesPete Hegseth has been a mess since President Donald Trump first picked him as his secretary of defense, and things have only gone downhill from there.
There have been near-constant rumors of his drinking problem, which prompted him to promise to stop drinking if he was confirmed, he has been caught leaking classified information multiple times, a his chief of staff was fired, and both his top advisor and Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg were escorted from the Pentagon. And that’s just in the first four months of the year.
These blunders have made Hegseth a frequent target for hilarious memes, but his inability to stop leaking classified information on Signal chat and his bizarre rant about the press coverage of his loose lips at the White House’s annual Easter Egg Roll have the entire internet roasting him.
In a now-viral video, Hegseth is seen smearing reporters for publishing "anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees,” but while his rant could have been fodder for lambasting the secretary of defense all on its own, people are mostly laughing at his kids' faces in the background of the shot. If you thought your dad was cringey and embarrassing, he’s got nothing on Hegseth, whose kids's expressions appear to look horrified at what he’s saying.
Keep scrolling to see the funniest reactions to Pete Hegseth being… well, classic Pete Hegseth.
"Dad's drunk again. I want to die. This sucks."
"Even Pete Hegseth’s kids know this isn’t going to end well…"
"We are all this kid:"
"BREAKING - New Pentagon leak show's Pete Hegseth's texts with his mother:"
"Pete's POV:"
"Just a reminder, the release of white smoke from the Anheuser-Busch factory signals that a new Pete Hegseth has been selected."
"You guys shouldn't be celebrating. If Trump replaces Pete Hegseth it will mean Secretary of Defense Kid Rock"
"Hey .@PeteHegseth we’re ready when you are."
"'I look at war plans every single day' -- Pete Hegseth (we know dude, we've seen your Signal chats)"
"When Pete Hegseth sobers up he’ll be surprised to learn he was defense secretary."
"Pete Hegseth attacks media as his kids cringe"
"Is it spam or is it just Pete Hegseth texting you classified information?"
"I'm no expert on substance abuse or anything,... but it seems to me he'd be better off if he shaved BEFORE he got drunk in the morning."
"Pete Hegseth should tell us who he DIDN’T leak classified information to."
"The Pope died, Pete Hegseth got fired and Kanye admitted to gay incest. Entirely too much happening right now please stop."
Adam Schiff (L), Letitia James (C), and James Comey (R) — all political opponents of Trump indicted or investigated on dubious accusations.Sheila Fitzgerald/Shuttershock.com; lev radin/Shuttershock.com; mark reinstein/Shuttershock.com
PFLAG National CEO Brian K. Bond and Edith Guffey, chair of the PFLAG National board of directors.Paul Morigi/Getty Images for PFLAG National
Former Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Barney Frank addressing a crowd at a PFLAG event.Paul Morigi/Getty Images for PFLAG National
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters talks about her relationship with former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank.Paul Morigi/Getty Images for PFLAG National
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters accepting a PFLAG award.Paul Morigi/Getty Images for PFLAG National
Former Rep. Barney Frank and Kathleen Sengstock.Paul Morigi/Getty Images for PFLAG National
Rep. Maxine Waters and PFLAG National CEO Brian K. Bond.Paul Morigi/Getty Images for PFLAG National
L-R: Jim McGreevey, Jolanda Jones, Erica DeusoJamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images; ericadeuso.com
