Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gave his best Trump impression on Monday, while campaigning for retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in Kentucky.
Hegseth drew applause and laughter when he recalled President Donald Trump giving him a pep talk of sorts about the nomination process and his position in the administration.
“Trump told me, when he first offered me this job — he said, ‘Pete, you’re gonna have to be tough as sh*t,” Hegseth told Gallrein supporters, adopting Trump’s tone and mannerisms. “‘You ready? They’re gonna come after ya!'”
Notably, Hegseth has been the target of a number of legacy media attacks since the moment Trump announced the Army veteran as his pick for Secretary of War. Hegseth withstood the personal attacks and was confirmed in January 2025, by Vice President JD Vance’s tie-breaking vote.
WATCH:
🚨 LMAO! SecWar Pete Hegseth does a hilarious impression of Donald Trump
He’s actually got it down pretty good 🤣
“He said ‘PETE, you’re gonna have to be tough as SHlT…You ready? They’re gonna come after you!’” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/utuKJII58S
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 18, 2026
At the campaign event, Hegseth told a crowd of Kentucky voters that backing Gallrein in the 4th Congressional District primary race over Rep. Thomas Massie is a “no-brainer.”
Gallrein got the backing of President Donald Trump, after Massie refused to support the president with regard to the war in Iran, the Epstein files, the One Big Beautiful Bill, and other issues.
“President Trump needs reinforcements, and that’s what warfighters do,” Hegseth said. “Warfighters understand mission. They understand teamwork. They understand loyalty, and they understand that in the middle of a fight, you don’t weaken your own side. You advance to the objective, and that’s what Ed Gallrein understands, because he has lived it.”
The secretary further went after Massie for obstructing Trump’s agenda and “grandstanding.”
“Thomas Massie’s record speaks for itself,” he said. “Too much grandstanding … [with] years of acting like being difficult is the same thing as being courageous. It’s not. Real courage means stepping up when the mission matters most, when we need that tough vote to beat left-wing lunatic Democrats.”
The hotly contested and closely watched race is reportedly the most expensive U.S. House primary in history. Polls close at 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
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