Republican Rep Torches Pentagon Pete’s ‘Demeaning’ Attack on Woman

Daniel Heuer / REUTERS Pete Hegseth is being accused of punching down after body-shaming a young Canadian woman in a bizarre social media post—and even Republicans are calling him out.

The defense secretary sparked outrage Monday when he reposted a photo from the Vernon Cadet Training Center in British Columbia showing a smiling cadet receiving a medal from an instructor who appears to be overweight.

Hegseth slapped a Canadian flag onto the image and added the caption: “(this is real).” The post quickly detonated online, with critics questioning why the Pentagon chief was spending his time body-shaming young women while the nation is engaged in a deeply unpopular and costly war with Iran.

The post also attracted criticism from Hegseth’s own party.

Republican Rep.

Don Bacon slammed the post as “demeaning” during an interview with CNN on Wednesday.

Asked about the image by host Jim Sciutto, who pointed out that one of the cadets is a teenager, Bacon did not mince words.

“It is,” Bacon said.

“It’s lowbrow.

I think it’s unprofessional, and I’d like to think that our leadership, representing us in the Pentagon and in the White House, we should be better than that, and I thought it was demeaning and uncalled for.” Hegseth has been fixated on the physical appearance of the officers under his command.

Last September, he declared that he did not want to see “fat generals and admirals” in the armed forces.

He has also repeatedly drawn fire for his views on women in the military.

In November 2024, days before Trump announced Hegseth would lead the Pentagon, he told podcast host Shawn Ryan, “I’m straight-up saying we should not have women in combat roles.” He added, “It hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated.” Meanwhile, when Hegseth unveiled his new “highest male standards” for combat roles last September, which included a ban on beards for service members, he said, “If women can make it, excellent.

If not, it is what it is.