War Secretary Pete Hegseth took a break from his official duties to appear alongside Kentucky congressional candidate Ed Gallrein during a Monday campaign appearance ahead of his Tuesday primary challenge against incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).
Gallrein is the Trump-endorsed candidate against Massie, an ideological libertarian who has garnered ire from the president for breaking with Republicans on multiple issues from conflict with Iran to the handling of the Epstein files. Voting against the One Big Beautiful Bill and other Republican-led spending bills has also placed Massie in Trump’s line of fire.
In an atypical move for the leader of the U.S. military, Hegseth showed up to support Gallrein’s rally put on by America First Works, the advocacy arm of the America First Policy Institute, which was founded by current and former Trump administration officials Linda McMahon, Brooke Rollins, and Larry Kudlow.
“President Trump needs reinforcements, and that’s what war fighters do. They stand behind leaders and have their back,” the secretary said in his remarks. “War fighters understand mission, they understand teamwork, they understand loyalty, and they understand that in the middle of a fight, you don’t weaken your own side to advance to the objective, and that’s what Ed Gallrein understands, because he has lived it.”
Massie has notably opposed U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran, as well as targeted strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities last summer.
Hegseth said, “At some point, being against everything becomes an excuse for accomplishing nothing.”
“Too much grandstanding, too few great votes, years of acting like being difficult is the same thing as being courageous,” the secretary argued. “It’s not. Real courage means stepping up when the mission matters most, when we need that tough vote to beat left-wing lunatic Democrats the most. Real courage means understanding that this country is facing existential threats and deciding to be part of the solution instead of constantly trying to position yourself above the fight.”
Hegseth also offered a disclaimer about his participation in a political rally, telling the audience, “I have to say up front, for the lawyers, that I’m here in my personal capacity as a private citizen, a fellow American, and a fellow combat veteran, here to support Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.”
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also released a statement clarifying that no taxpayer dollars were spent on facilitating Hegseth’s visit, and corroborated that his participation was “thoroughly vetted and cleared by lawyers” and does not violate the Hatch Act or “any other applicable federal statute.”
“Kentucky has a choice in this race. You can send a warrior, reinforcements for the president in our shared fight against the radical left, or you can send an obstructionist. In my mind, it’s an easy choice,” Hegseth added.
While Trump has mercilessly hounded Massie by calling to “vote the bum out,” the 14-year incumbent has said that the criticism from the president has helped him raise money.
The Republican primary election is Tuesday, May 19.
Other Republicans like Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Warren Davidson (R-OH), and Victoria Spartz (R-IN) campaigned with Massie over the weekend, the Hill reported.
In doing so, the typically MAGA-aligned Boebert won the ire of the president.
“Is anyone interested in running against Weak Minded Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District?” the president wrote on Truth Social. “You remember Lauren moved to the District when it became obvious that she couldn’t win in her original Congressional District (The Third!) — A Carpetbagger, indeed!”
Despite his criticism of moving districts, Trump endorsed Boebert for Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District when she switched from the Third.
Trump continued to argue that “Boebert is campaigning for the Worst ‘Republican’ Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!”
Reacting to Trump’s post on Newsmax, Boebert said she still supports the president, but also supports her friend, Massie.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
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