'Pathetic': Pete Hegseth Ridiculed for Enlisting His Mother to Help Save His Secretary of Defense Nomination — Source

Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth was relentlessly mocked on social media after his mother defended his nomination as Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense.

Penelope Hegseth has reportedly made calls to various senators on his behalf, vouching for her son and his nomination after his history of serial infidelity and assault accusations have come to light.

Several vocal critics took to various social media platforms to ridicule the president-elect's pick for having his mother "come to his defense" after reports cast serious doubt on his ability to get confirmed by the soon-to-be Republican-controlled Senate.

Political commentator and New York Times Best Seller Brian Tyler Cohen took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and joked: "Nothing says 'lead the Pentagon' like mommy making phone calls for her very good boy."

Another X user commented: "That's pathetic. I need my mom to call the voters so I can be president."

British-American journalist and former MSNBC host Mehdi Masan wrote: "I'm sure the Chinese military are quaking in their boots at the prospects of facing America's next defense secretary."

Last week, The New York Times published the contents of an email Penelope sent her son in 2018 in which she berated him for allegedly being abusive.

"You are an abuser of women — that is the ugly truth, and I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around, and uses women for his own power and ego," she wrote. "You are that man (and have been for years), and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth."

Penelope later said the email she sent her son was written in "anger," and she apologized for her wording.

"They were going through, Pete and his wife, were going through a difficult divorce, a very emotional time and I'm sure many of you across the country understand how difficult divorce is on a family," Pete's mom said while on Fox News on Wednesday, December 4.

"There is emotion. We say things and I wrote that in haste, with deep emotion, as a parent," she explained.

As OK! previously reported, the president-elect is allegedly considering nominating Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to be Pete's replacement as Secretary of Defense.

According to people close to the president-elect's team, Trump allies believe the former Fox News host may not "survive further scrutiny."

The Hill reported on Pete's mom.