Pete Hegseth tells top generals "prepare for war"
https://www.newsweek.com/pete-hegseth-war-generals-trump-10804089Open linkView original on lemmy.world189
Comments43https://www.newsweek.com/pete-hegseth-war-generals-trump-10804089Open linkView original on lemmy.world
For people who are actually engaged in combat, okay, but usually generals are not going to be personally engaged in physical combat. If they are, things have probably gone rather wrong on other levels. Like, we're theoretically choosing people at that level based on ability to coordinate and plan, not to look sexy on TV.
Every time I think the cringe bar cannot go lower, this administration manages it.
Does he do regular exercise or just routinely skip meals and substitute ethanol and cocaine?
The only chubby he wants is in his pants when he sees the troops and generals.
Must have something to do with flags permanently at half mast
As a preface, I think this admin, and this whole meeting including the part about fitness, is/was monumentally stupid and I hate where this is going.
However, I do subscribe to the healthy mind leads to a healthy body and healthy body leads to a healthy mind. I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all to have an expectation that our military leadership be fit/healthy/in-shape and not beer-bellied pencil pushers lol. Hard to lead when you’re worried about your failing heart y’know? It is, however, SO STUPID, that they included this in the meeting and had Pete “The Alcoholic” Hegseth lecture them about health.
Beyond just the health of the leaders for their own performance, the military certainly does have a degree of “lead by example” and “respect for appearance” by the lower ranks of the upper ranks.
So while this whole thing is stupid and should’ve been an internal memo/order and, Hegseth and Trump are fascist cronnies — I don’t think it’s unreasonable for their to be a basic expectation that military leadership keep their weight in check (not ripped and huge with muscle, just lean and not overly fat).
Coke and meth kept Adolf going...
"but we can't possibly have elections while at war!"
with our cities under attack/siege
... By ourselves
FDR:
Please explain to me why we can’t have an election while at war.
(I know why, and how they’re trying to manipulate the optics. I just think it’d be great if everyone was just like “lol you’re a massive fucking pussy compared to FDR”, and simply refused to let up on that)
Don't let them conflate foreign wars with hostile local occupation. The line that is being drawn is that since zalensky can forgo elections while major population centers are literally occupied by a hostile force (Russia) that that means elections here can be halted if we were to occupy our own cities
Are they going to war with anyone in particular, or just the first country that looks at them funny?
They are going to war with the USA. Los Angeles, DC, Memphis, Chicago, Portland. Just the beginning if they keep getting away with it.
Newsweek is just using a clickbait headline. Hegseth hauled in all the top brass so that he could impress everyone with the fact that he works out.
"Do you even lift, Bro? Git gud"
-- USA Secretary of Defence, 2025 CE
Yes
The answer is "first and foremost after their own". But "all at once" will be marked correct as well.
My bet is on either Mexico or Canada.
They're going after US cities, to make it easier to rig the elections. After that, they'll find some easy pickings such as Greenland.
Also, no more woke shit.
And shave yourself. Top to bottom. I want you smooth.
And strong. Very strong.
And no more chicks. Only dudes. Smooth, muscular dudes.
But don't you dare fucking complain about it!
If any of those generals had a spine, they'd have pulled out their service weapon and Kirk'd that alcoholic right where he stood. You know, the way warriors are supposed to deal with traitors and wife-beater pussies.
You think they were allowed to go in there armed?
Bet they all fuckin LOVED being talked down to about the ethos of their warriorism...
Testing the water about ordering them to attack us, the citizens of this fucking country.
🖕🤬🖕
I love that Newsweek is ignoring the silly trump re-branding. Its like we're all treating it like Twitter.
You're toxic, Pete.
Tried and true like racism and sexual harassment?
So this looks like his path to eliminate women from the armed forces.
Minorities too. There's a reason he was harping on shaving standards. Some people with curly hair get ingrown hairs when they shave every day. Causes infection and scarring. You can get a "no shave chit" - medical can excuse you from needing to be clean shaven.
Its mostly black men with these chits.
He's trying to give anyone who wants one an excuse to remove any one who isn't white enough (and male) from serving.
No harassment is too petty for MAGA to resort to.
They're just slow on the uptake.
I never noticed until today, when Pete has been in the news so much -- are those his military medals he wears on his suit all the time? Is that the type of thing he is allowed to do if he is not in uniform? I've never served so I don't know.
I don't mean to denigrate his service: I'm sure he earned that (single) row of medals. But I couldn't help but notice that all the generals he was lecturing -- yes, even the ones with melanin and/or vaginas -- had many, many more rows of them. You would think the lecture on the "warrior ethos" would be going the other way
He doesn’t have any military ribbons on him in that picture.
I think you are referring to that little line above his chest pocket. That is a handkerchief that is an American flag.
Once you are out of the uniform you can do whatever you want with your ribbons. Though it would be beyond bad taste for the secretary of defense to wear them on his suit jacket.
So he'll probably do it at some point, is what you're saying.
It's surprising he's not doing it, then.
I don’t think so, I’m pretty sure it’s an American flag handkerchief folded so part is showing. You can see it on his Wikipedia photo where it is more clearly a flag.
I would suggest he’s making it thin on purpose so it looks like medals nowadays though.
Medals are I think most often worn in uniform. He is wearing a designer suit, so would look weird if he wore his medals on his suit OR the uniform of his former service, so he settles for the thin American flag of respectability.
You made me zoom in, and yes, I can see that it's a bit of a flag handkerchief. No doubt he wants it to look like a line of medals.
There is an interesting article in the NYT on him, and how he might be being perceived by the military's senior officers:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/us/politics/hegseth-military-officers.html
He is for the military what Donald Trump is for business. He’s a weak, stupid person’s idea of a tough, smart military man.
Literally played one on TV (Fox News), just like Trump.
He has more than a single line. Pretty much anyone who does any deployment will come out with a few ribbons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Hegseth#Awards_and_decorations
The badge on his lapel is the one of his former unit insignias. http://www.uniforms-4u.com/p-army-187-infantry-unit-crest-8821.aspx
Fuck him, and fuck the whole servile "thank you for your service" bootlick.
He’s so right! They should follow the lead of the Commander in Chief here. No more hamburger swilling pigs!
Yeah, sure, I'll bet career military people never thought that their jobs involved preparing for war.
Hegseth really is a brainless, posturing nonentity.
peace through war. prosperity through austerity. victory through um whatever just suck my cock already.
Kane lives in death!