United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is not a fan-favorite in Washington, DC, and the people are not afraid to show it. In a recent video uploaded on Reddit, the 45-year-old politician could be seen walking out of a church with his family. The video was captioned, “Shame on him for masquerading as a Christian.”
Hegseth could be seen holding his daughter by the hand as they were surrounded by security while walking to the car. However, the presence of heavy security did nothing to deter citizens from shaming the former TV personality.
The crowd could be heard chanting, “Shame! Shame! Shame!” as the Secretary of Defense made his way to the car. While he did not respond to the crowd, he wore a grim expression on his face that suggested he was unhappy with the situation.
The video of the incident gained traction online, and several users supported the protesters who booed the Secretary of Defense. One user commented on his facial expression, writing, “Oooohhh he looks pissed 😂,” and another wrote, “Good. May that smug a**hole not get a moment of peace in this city.”
One user called Hegseth a “blasphemous f*ck” and expressed shock that he didn’t “instantly evaporate” when he walked into a holy house of worship. Another user pointed out that Hegseth was only holding his daughter’s hand to try and gain sympathy from the crowd.
“‘Ask your daddy why he hurts other kids!’ Feel bad for that little girl, but you know he’s using her as a shield,” the user wrote.
More users poured in support for the protesters, writing that people like Hegseth should never be allowed to go out without being publicly shamed. “None of these people should be allowed out in public without a chorus of ‘shame!’ following them wherever they go. They are foul,” the user wrote.
Another user echoed the same thoughts, writing that all shameful public acts of the administration should be “met by unison shouts of shame.” The user noted that public shaming is “effective” because it doesn’t “invite response or incite violence.”
One user asked, “If DC is so terrible, why is he taking his kids here?”
Hegseth’s public shaming incident comes shortly after he ordered National Guard members in DC to start carrying service weapons while patrolling the streets of DC. As reported by CNN, the directive aims to empower the state’s National Guard to enforce President Donald Trump’s crackdown on the crime rate in the country by any means necessary.
Citizens’ grievance with Hegseth stems from the perception that his order only amounts to an unnecessary show of force in the state. Many also believe that his directive may only further escalate tensions instead of easing them.
