U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth poses with U.S. Army National Guard soldiers after administering their oath during a re-enlistment ceremony at the base of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's latest workout video was roasted by observers on Sunday.
Hegseth posted a video of himself lifting weights with military troops on Saturday, in which it appeared the Defense Secretary was bench pressing 315 pounds. Hegseth can be seen screaming and yelling alongside troops as he re-racked the weights after doing a single rep.
Observers roasted the video on social media on Sunday, with some pointing out that Hegseth's form and the way the weights moved on the rack suggest that he was not benching 315 pounds as he claimed. Others described it as an example of the "beta behavior" that Hegseth has said he wants to root out in the military.
"This is one of the most pathetic things I’ve seen in my life," Bentley Hudgins, Georgia state director for the Human Rights Campaign, posted on X. "Even with his station, Pete acts like an insecure child. Actual beta behavior."
"As a Marine, I learned to put mission first and focus on winning our nation's wars," military veteran Maura C. Sullivan posted on X."If @SecWar wants to be a third-rate fitness influencer, he should go do that — and let a qualified adult run the Pentagon."
"Of all the things that never happened this never happened the most," internet personality Chris Mowrey posted on X.
"This is total bulls--- and the fact that people think it isn’t is f------ mind blowing," Michael A. Gayed, CFA, a portfolio manager, posted on X.
"This video is fake. Pete Hegseth cannot bench 315," political strategist Sawyer Hackett posted on X.