‘What the Hell Is This?!’: Pete Hegseth Stumbles Through ‘Cringe’ Joke Meant to Make Trump Look Powerful — and It Blows Up Instantly
Pete Hegseth took the stage Thursday night at Fox’s Patriot Awards ready to hype up President Donald Trump — but what happened next left has social media in stitches.
The Defense Secretary tried to crack a joke that was supposed to make Trump look sharp and commanding, but the delivery went completely sideways in New York City.
“That moment we realized that our bombers were out of Iran and the bombs had hit the target, and the world didn’t knew,” Hegseth said awkwardly as he tried to remember his words, describing the United States’ bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites in June.
He found his rhythm again and continued, “It was a fun moment when Donald Trump turned to his assistant and said, ‘Go get me my phone.’”
Then Hegseth made bizarre sounds apparently trying to sound like someone typing on their phone, “boop, boop, boop” …. before saying “Ready?”
“The world. Listen FAFO,” he declared in what was intended to be his mic drop moment .
Hegseth must have felt proud of himself that evening after trying a similar joke before to the nation’s top military brass during a speech in September, except there was absolute silence in the auditorium.
FAFO is an acronym that mean “f-ck around and find out.” The saying has been around long before the Trump administration came to power and is generally used as a warning that if someone is acting inappropriately, they will face consequences, according to USA Today.
He finally found his audience at the Patriots Award, but the joke still landed completely flat on social media.
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Another Threads user agreed, “He finally found a audienz stupid enough for his joke, in front of battle hardened generals he only heard.”
“This is embarrassing even for Fox News,” this poster proclaimed.
The backlash continued against Hegseth, a former Fox weekend anchor who was unbelievably tapped by Trump to lead what is arguably the most powerful military on the planet with very little experience for the role.
“God hes a dork. And not the lovable kind. The smelly kind who breathes on you,” Threads poster Justin Aga lamented.
This Threads user remarked, “So this is considered funny in the MAGA realm? And this comment, “A bunch of fake leaders giving themselves made up awards.”
But that wasn’t all. Plenty of people didn’t even know Fox’s Patriot Awards existed, let alone what the award is for.
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“Wait…First: Wtf is the Patriot Awards??” this Threads user wondered.
“On a scale of 1-10, how drunk is whiskey Pete here?” social media poster Richard Hill joked.
The Dallafornian had this to say, summing up expertly, “Slimy ‘Maximum Venality’ Pete prancing around on stage again. CRINGE.”
Fox’s annual Fox Nation Patriot Awards show hosted by Fox host Sean Hannity is described as “celebrating individuals who have shown dedication to American values and have made significant contributions to the country.”
First responders, military members and other so-called “everyday heroes” are honored through various award categories, including “Young Patriot,” “Heroism” and “Patriot of the Year.”
And similar to Trump’s Mar-A-Lago party, this ceromony landed at the wrong time.
“What the hell is this?! 
A decadent participation award show featuring the Secretary of Defense cracking a self deprecating joke about his security risk stupidity all during a government shutdown while the economy is on the verge of collapse????,” said Mark.