The internet erupted in ridicule on Saturday after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made an odd comparison to a conservative legend.
Hegseth over the weekend made a simple comment when he said, "If you look at actual policies, Donald Trump is the true and rightful heir of Ronald Reagan."
The statement didn't go over well with critics.
Attorney Danny Miller simply quoted Reagan as saying, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
Conservative Heath Mayo chimed in with, "No serious person believes this. Reagan helped *win* the Cold War. He invested in freedom and peace. He knew it mattered, and that it wasn’t a waste or a 'territorial dispute.' And it’s frankly embarrassing that the Reagan Foundation and the 'Reagan National Defense Forum' would give this guy a microphone."
"He’s not worth the time of serious people, despite his title. I would have walked out," Mayo added.
Another conservative analyst, Tom Nichols chimed in with, "Yeah, no."
Independent veteran leader Paul Rieckhoff said, "Hegseth is the only person who believes this."
Veterans For Responsible Leadership added, "Nothing could be further from the truth."
