Highly unqualified Sec. of Defense Pete Hegseth’s speech to Air Force cadets over the weekend is giving folks on social media plenty of Nazi vibes, thanks in large part to his department’s new branding.
Pete Hegseth followed up his bizarre State of Force address, where he made a bevy of controversial announcements, including the Department of Defense going all in on artificial intelligence and giving Elon Musk a role reviewing future warfare, with a speech to Air Force cadets that left many saying he isn’t beating the white nationalist accusations.
In the video that set off alarms bell all over social media, Hegseth took the stage at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado and stood in front of a banner with an eagle logo and “Department of War” and “United States” around it.
It immediately drew similarities to the Nazi symbol of the eagle holding the swastika, with many on social media claiming that the HSS remixed it with a bit of American patriotism.
Pete Hegseth’s Tattoos Have Always Been A Topic of Discussion
In his lead-up to getting the role of Sec. of Defense, Hegseth was plagued with white nationalist accusations. Before becoming a Fox News personality, Hegseth served in the National Guard and was flagged as a potential “insider threat” by fellow Guardsmen who filed a complaint pointing to Hegseth’s “Deus Vult” tattoo on his arm.
Hegseth claimed in his book The War on Warriors that his “orders were revoked” because of complaints about the massive Jerusalem Cross tattoo on his chest, and he resigned because of it.
According to Sgt. DeRicko Gaither, who sent the image of Hegseth’s “Deus Vult” tattoo to Maj. Gen. William Walker, the Jerusalem Cross was not the issue.
Welp.
We truly hope this guy is impeached, or fired, or thrown in prison for war crimes, but until that day comes, you can see more reactions below.