Pete Hegseth's spot on impression of Donald Trump goes viral as Internet says he 'nailed it’

PANAMA: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was in Panama recently, where he asserted that the US recognizes and “respect(s) the sovereignty of the Panamanians.”

The US Embassy in the Central American country reported that the Secretary of Defense also said during his visit that President Donald Trump "has made it clear that the Panama Canal and the canal areas cannot and will not be controlled by China.”

“We are working closely with our partners in Panama to secure the canal and advance our mutual [audio gap] directing the United States Naval Ship Comfort, it’s a hospital ship, to deploy to Panama and to several countries in the region later this year,” he added.

Pete Hegseth reveals what Donald Trump told him before his Panama trip

Amid the serious discussion, however, Hegseth also made people laugh with his impression of Trump.

As per Nicki Swift, he said, “The president gave me a very direct charge. He actually told me two things…”

“When he chose me for this job…First was, ‘Pete you better be tough as s**t, OK?’ And he was right!” Hegseth said. The 44-year-old spoke in a way the POTUS would have while also imitating him by moving his hands just like the Commander-in-Chief.

Internet says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 'nailed' his Donald Trump impression

Netizens appreciated Pete Hegseth’s impression of Donald Trump during his recent visit to Panama and took to social media to express their views on the same.

An X user tweeted, “Dude nailed it.”

Another wrote, “Oh my gosh this was PERFECT.”

One person said, “Even more reason to love him.”

“That's such a good impersonation. Lol perfect,” another commented read.

An individual commented, “He is definitely tough..💪and had jokes too! 😂🤣 this is great!”

Another posted, “For you non-military folks this is a tradition within the branches. Part of the tradition is the value of free speech and the understanding of our equality in rights even though there is a chain of command.”

Someone else shared, “I love the throat clear before the attempt lmao.”

“Right down to the hand motion,” another added.

Pete Hegseth's involvement in Signal group chat leak 

This comes after Pete Hegseth made headlines for being involved in a major political scandal alongside National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and other Trump administration officials. 

Waltz allegedly added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat where they discussed major military decisions against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“This reported disclosure of sensitive military information in a Signal group chat that included a journalist is a five-alarm fire for government accountability and potentially a crime,” American Oversight's interim executive director Chioma Chukwu said.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.