Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hit the campaign trail on Monday to help former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in his bid to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in a GOP primary, a highly unusual move for any head of the Pentagon.
Hegseth appeared alongside Gallrein, whom President Trump is backing against Massie, at a rally in Hebron, Ky., hosted by the Trump-allied group America First Works.ย ย
Coming out to the opening notes of Van Halenโs โJump,โ heavy applause and chants of โUSA,โ Hegseth quickly launched into a full-throated endorsement of Gallrein, whom he described as a reinforcement to Trumpโs agenda.
โPresident Trump needs reinforcements, and thatโs what war fighters do. They stand behind leaders and have their back,โ the former Army National Guard infantry officer said. โWar fighters understand mission, they understand teamwork, they understand loyalty, and they understand that in the middle of a fight, you donโt weaken your own side to advance to the objective, and thatโs what Ed Gallrein understands, because he has lived it.โ
Massie, a libertarian who has criticized the Iran war and unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, has been a thorn in the presidentโs side on numerous issues.
Massie voted against the enormous tax cut legislation called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, pressed for the release of government files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and most recently joined House Democrats in voting for a resolution that would have directed Trump to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities against Iran.ย
Hegseth on Monday painted Massie as an obstructionist, arguing that, โAt some point, being against everything becomes an excuse for accomplishing nothing.โย
Massieโs record โspeaks for itself,โ Hegseth said. โToo much grandstanding, too few great votes, years of acting like being difficult is the same thing as being courageous. Itโs not. Real…