Politics'He Must Have a Humiliation Kink': 'Weak' Pete Hegseth Trolled for Struggling to Lift Weights at Guantanamo Bay — Watch
Pete Hegseth's workout videos are going viral for all of the wrong reasons.
June 12 2026, Published 2:33 p.m. ET
Pete Hegseth is getting trolled on social media as videos of him struggling to work out at Guantanamo Bay go viral.
"America can rest assured knowing our troops are standing watch," he wrote on his post of his experience. "It was an honor to return to @uscentcom and Cuba to spend time with our warfighters carrying out critical missions."
Pete Hegseth Gets Mocked
Pete Hegseth's leg flailed as he used a bench press.
In one clip, Hegseth struggled to do a bench press, with one of his legs flailing in the air as a man helped him put the weight back in place.
Another post showed him appearing to struggle and look exhausted as he did exercises with dumbbells.
The politician visited Guantanamo Bay for a workout.
Critics had a field day over the footage, with one person stating, "Pete Hegseth must have a humiliation kink."
"It’s the little leg kick for me," another quipped, while another penned, "I’m almost embarrassed for him. Such a weak pathetic excuse for a man."
Others questioned why Hegseth was there when there are crises like the war in Iran going on.
The secretary of war was trolled online for the way he lifted weights.
This wasn't the first time the dad-of-seven has been recorded while exercising, as he was mocked in January when he joined Japanese Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi for a workout at a Virginia army base before their meeting at the Pentagon.
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Pete Hegseth revealed all military personnel will have to take a test twice a year.
Hegseth's actions are constantly under scrutiny, especially after he made several questionable comments while speaking to military personnel in September 2025. During his speech, he became fixated on an individual's physical appearance.
"Every member of the joint force at every rank is required to take a test twice a year, as well as meet height and weight requirements twice a year, every year of service," he stated. "Additionally, members of the joint force will be required to do PT [physical training] every duty day."
'You Are Fit, Not Fat'
The father-of-seven went viral for telling soldiers, 'You are fit, not fat.'
He also body-shamed people, stating, "It's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the world. It's a bad look."
"You hold yourselves to a higher standard," he insisted. "You are fit, not fat. You are disciplined, not distracted."
'The Single Dumbest Phrase in Military History'
Pete Hegseth dissed the idea that 'diversity' is the military's strength.
"You are not an army of one, and you are certainly not an army of woke. You are an American army, an army of warriors," he continued.
He also raised eyebrows when he declared, "Our diversity is our strength — the single dumbest phrase in military history. Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength."
