‘Everyone else was under the table’: Trump hails Hegseth's unthinkable reaction during WHCD shooting

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump had high praise for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth while speaking at an event honoring military mothers on Thursday, May 7, using a dramatic story from the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting scare to highlight what he called Hegseth’s toughness and leadership.

While addressing supporters and guests at the event, the commander-in-chief spent several minutes recognizing members of his administration and their spouses.

But his comments about Hegseth quickly stood out as he described how the defense secretary apparently reacted during the chaos surrounding the shooting incident.

Trump says Pete Hegseth stayed calm during chaos

As Trump greeted guests in the room, he first praised Education Secretary Linda McMahon before turning his attention to Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer Rauchet.

“He’s doing some job, I’ll tell you. He’s doing a job,” Trump said about Hegseth.

The president then brought up the Correspondents' Dinner scare from earlier this month and claimed Hegseth reacted differently than almost everyone else in the ballroom.

“He stood up. He was the only one standing up in the ballroom the other day at the event at the White House,” Trump said.

He continued the story in his usual dramatic style, joking that others were hiding while Hegseth stayed calm.

“Your husband was standing on top of a table. Everyone else was under the table,” Trump said while speaking to Jennifer. “So that’s what we want of our Secretary of War, right?” he added.

Trump then doubled down on the praise, saying, “He was standing at the top of the table, everyone else was under the damn table.”

The audience laughed as Trump continued complimenting Hegseth’s recent public appearances and Pentagon briefings. 

Trump praises Pete Hegseth for 'doing a fantastic job'

Trump’s public praise also came at an interesting moment politically because there has been growing speculation in media circles about which administration officials may be losing favor.

Hegseth’s name has reportedly surfaced alongside several other top officials as possible figures facing internal pressure.

Still, Trump gave no indication Wednesday that he had concerns about his defense secretary. In fact, his remarks appeared designed to send the opposite message.

“Anyway, he’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump said.

The president also praised Hegseth’s chemistry with military leadership during public briefings.

“He and the General - those are great news conferences. We like them. They work very well together, I can tell you,” Trump said.

Trump mixes jokes and politics during event

The event itself featured Trump doing what he often does during speeches — mixing praise, jokes, and personal stories while acknowledging allies in the room.

After discussing Hegseth, the Republican leader moved on to recognize Michelle Ratcliffe, the wife of CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Jackie Emmer, the wife of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

Trump joked about his rocky political relationship with Emmer before eventually becoming allies.

“In politics, you can fight,” Trump said. “And then when we got to know each other, we love each other, right?”

He also praised Jackie for supporting him before her husband fully came around politically.

“She always liked Trump,” he said. “And she convinced her husband that Trump was much better than he thought.”

The crowd responded warmly as the president continued moving casually through stories about people in the room.