Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tried his hand at President Donald Trump’s favorite stagecraft — toss out a sharp, insulting joke, let the room laugh and keep the spotlight.
But the script didn’t work this time. The remark landed awkwardly, the room didn’t follow his lead, and what Hegseth did moments later only made the moment worse — setting off a fresh wave of backlash online.
The exchange unfolded during the “Shield of the Americas Summit” in Doral, Florida, where Trump and top administration officials gathered with Latin American leaders at the president’s resort to promote a new Western Hemisphere security initiative.
The event came at a tense moment internationally, as U.S. forces continue operations against Iran following Trump’s sweeping strikes that dramatically escalated the conflict in the region.
The sequence began shortly after Trump addressed the crowd.
Trump had joked about Rubio’s Spanish skills while addressing Latin American leaders. “Is he better in Spanish or in English? I think he’s better in Spanish, I mean, it’s great,” Trump said.
Hegseth tried to match the humor when it was his turn to speak.
“Mr. President, I only speak American,” Hegseth said.
The room fell quiet. Trump, who had stepped aside, offered no reaction and instead adjusted his jacket while Hegseth chuckled at his own line and glanced back toward the president as if waiting for the joke to land.
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Rubio, standing nearby, looked down and pursed his lips, appearing uncomfortable as he became the butt of what came off as a disrespectful joke. Trump eventually reached over and tapped him lightly on the arm in what appeared to be an effort to lighten the moment.
Hegseth then continued his remarks, praising Trump’s leadership and tying the new regional initiative to broader geopolitical goals.
“Well, Mr. President, it’s an honor to be here, and to establish in this hemisphere peace through strength,” Hegseth said after the brief debacle.
“We share cultures, Western Christian civilization, we share these things together. We have to have the courage to defend it,” he rambled, before adding, “And we have a commander in chief, who’s set that compass heading.”
But the moment that sparked the most backlash came shortly afterward as Hegseth emphasized the need to focus on threats closer to home.
“For far too long our country’s gaze was only on borders in far-flung places, not our own border, not our own hemisphere, not the western hemisphere.”
As he said “far-flung places,” Hegseth extended his arm outward in a gesture that critics said resembled a Nazi salute, while others dismissed that interpretation as a stretch.
The clip spread rapidly across social media, where reactions ranged from mockery to outrage.
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One commenter wrote, “OMG, he had to laugh at his own stupid quip since no one else did.”
Another added, “It’s impossible to overstate just how dumb and embarrassing he is”.
The gesture itself fueled even sharper accusations.
“Did the guy with the Nazi tattoos who’s in charge of the Department of War just give a Nazi salute?” one asked.
“He hesitated. He knew what he was doing was wrong,” someone else pointed out.
Another critic wrote, “They keep doing this and think that we’re too stupid to see what they’re doing. That or they’re trolling and think it’s funny. Either way, they’re objectively the worst human beings on the planet.”
A separate post added, “Funny how these guys are always accidentally doing Nazi symbolism in ways that just happen to be recognizable to other Nazis.”
Not everyone agreed with that interpretation: “It looks like one and I am sure that he practices that on his own time but sometimes a gesture is just a gesture. Like pointing high does not mean a Nazi imagine.”
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Still, the incident intensified broader criticism of the administration’s tone and priorities as military operations continue in the Middle East.
Earlier Saturday, Trump suggested that the United States could escalate attacks against Iran, warning the country would be “hit very hard,” and that “areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time,” would be targeted.
The war has already taken a deadly toll. Six U.S. service members have been killed since the conflict began, while around 1,300 Iranians have died.
Trump has also privately expressed interest in deploying U.S. ground troops into Iran, according to NBC News. Hegseth himself suggested the administration is prepared for a prolonged campaign.
“Our will is ironclad, which means our timeline is ours and ours alone to control,” he said earlier in the week.
Hegseth has also criticized media coverage of the conflict, complaining that reporting on American casualties hurts the president politically.
“When a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front page news,” he ranted. “I get it. The press only wants to make the president look bad.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s own remarks at the summit drew controversy as well.
In rambling comments, he told Latin American leaders: “I’m not learning your damn language. I don’t have time.”
The combination of awkward jokes, controversial hand signals, and the backdrop of a widening war left critics asking why the defense secretary appeared focused on playing to the crowd rather than projecting steady leadership typically expected during a military crisis.
One frustrated commenter summed up that sentiment bluntly: “Where the absolute f*ck is Congress. Do your goddamn jobs and impeach every one of these psychos!”
