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LetMyPeopleVote

(181,210 posts) Tue Apr 28, 2026, 06:02 PM Tuesday

Observers roast Pete Hegseth's 'joyride' with 'washed-up' MAGA music star: 'A disgrace'

Hegseth needs to go. Giving Kid Rock a ride is just plain stupid

Political analysts and observers roasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday after he announced he took a "joyride" with MAGA music star Kid Rock.
— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-04-28T09:00:11Z

https://www.rawstory.com/pete-hegseth-2676821668

Political analysts and observers roasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday after he announced he took a "joyride" with MAGA music star Kid Rock.

"Joined my friend @KidRock — and some of our great @USArmy Apache pilots — for a ride this morning. (More to come on that!)" Hegseth wrote in a post on X. "Kid Rock is a patriot and huge supporter of our troops. The War Department is wasting no time celebrating America’s 250th — home of the free because of the brave."

The move comes just weeks after Army pilots were reprimanded for flying a helicopter near Kid Rock's home in Nashville. Hegseth stepped in after the incident and prevented the pilots from receiving any formal discipline.

Political analysts and observers reacted to Hegseth's announcement on social media.

"This is not g------ Call to Duty," Sandy Bachom, an independent journalist, posted on X. "My uncle is buried in Arlington. He was an Admiral in the Navy in the Pentagon. A great grandfather bought in the Civil War. My uncle dude was shot down by Nazis in 1942. You’re a disgrace."

"Unqualified DoD Secretary Hegseth should be FIRED!" Sharon Carbine, a political commentator, posted on Bluesky.

4 replies

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Observers roast Pete Hegseth's 'joyride' with 'washed-up' MAGA music star: 'A disgrace' (Original Post) LetMyPeopleVote Tuesday OP

A picture of those two will be in the next edition of Funk & Wagnalls to illustrate the word D-list. jls4561 Tuesday #1

MAGA - no class, no taste, no sense of humor. NewHendoLib Tuesday #2

MaddowBlog-Hegseth faces pushback after giving Kid Rock 'joy rides' on Apache helicopters LetMyPeopleVote Tuesday #3

Somebody needs to pick up the tab for the joy ride. Either Pete or his no-talent buddy. Taxpayers shouldn't fund this. Vinca Tuesday #4

jls4561

(3,245 posts)

1. A picture of those two will be in the next edition of Funk & Wagnalls to illustrate the word D-list.

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Tue Apr 28, 2026, 06:10 PM

Tuesday

NewHendoLib

(61,883 posts)

2. MAGA - no class, no taste, no sense of humor.

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Tue Apr 28, 2026, 06:10 PM

Tuesday

LetMyPeopleVote

(181,210 posts)

3. MaddowBlog-Hegseth faces pushback after giving Kid Rock 'joy rides' on Apache helicopters

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Tue Apr 28, 2026, 08:30 PM

Tuesday

“Why is Pete Hegseth spending your taxpayer dollars to give Kid Rock ‘joy rides’ on Apache helicopters?” one Democratic lawmaker asked.

Hegseth faces pushback after giving Kid Rock â€˜joy ridesâ€™ on Apache helicopters
â€œWhy is Pete Hegseth spending your taxpayer dollars to give Kid Rock â€˜joy ridesâ€™ on Apache helicopters?â€ one Democratic lawmaker asked.
MS NOW: apple.news/A_zXw-8mITPq...
ðŸ˜¡unbelievable, two drunks playing military guys
— CVJ (@enuffsaysv.bsky.social) 2026-04-28T21:23:22.643Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/hegseth-faces-pushback-after-giving-kid-rock-joy-rides-on-apache-helicopters

It was about a month ago when an entertainer named Kid Rock, who had one Top 10 hit nearly a quarter century ago, shared videos via social media of Apache helicopters doing a flyby at his home in Nashville, Tennessee. The clips showed the entertainer, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, saluting and applauding the troops......

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, came to a very different conclusion about the value of playing games, reversed the crew members’ suspension and abruptly closed the Army’s investigation. The New York Times reported that the moves represented “a remarkable intervention from the highest level of the Pentagon,” adding that the decree “was another indication of his contempt for legal guardrails in the military.”

Common sense might have suggested Hegseth would exercise at least some greater caution going forward. In the Pentagon chief’s office, however, common sense is apparently in short supply. The Associated Press reported:

Kid Rock and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth both flew in Army Apache attack helicopters at a base in Virginia on Monday, weeks after military pilots drew scrutiny for hovering near the entertainer’s Tennessee home.

On social media Monday night, Hegseth posted photos of himself and Kid Rock at the base. … Drop Site News was first to report Monday’s flights in Virginia.

For good measure, the former Fox News host also posted a photo of the entertainer speaking to a group of service members in the Pentagon press briefing room.

The AP’s report added that an Army Apache helicopter costs about $7,000 per hour to fly, which naturally led to a fresh round of questions about wasting public resources for, to borrow the president’s phrasing, “playing games.”,....

At a press briefing last week, the beleaguered defense secretary was asked whether he feels like he’s “on a power trip.” Hegseth dismissed the line of inquiry, though with the Kid Rock incidents in mind, concerns along these lines are likely to linger.

Vinca

(54,214 posts)

4. Somebody needs to pick up the tab for the joy ride. Either Pete or his no-talent buddy. Taxpayers shouldn't fund this.

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Original post)

Tue Apr 28, 2026, 08:32 PM

Tuesday

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