Pete Hegseth’s newest stunt left several netizens confused after he tried to channel Tom Cruise’s spirit from Top Gun: Maverick. A video of the Secretary of Defense sitting in a fighter jet is doing rounds on the internet. The video sparked a debate about whether the 45-year-old was flying the jet or not.
A right-wing X account was quick to claim that Hegseth was the “coolest” Secretary of Defense. The account reposted a short clip of him in the seat of a fighter jet. “I had no idea this guy could fly planes,” the user added.
Just when netizens started expressing their doubts about the credibility of the claim, a community note did the job of exposing the truth. “Pete Hegseth did not fly this plane or cannot fly any plane currently,” the note read. The note also pointed out how Hegseth did not have any flight training or even certification to be able to fly the jet.
Community notes is a crowd-sourced feature introduced on the platform as an attempt to eliminate the spread of misinformation. Other social media users were quick to double down on the correction and call out the right-wing account.
It’s settled. Pete Hegseth has to be the coolest Secretary of Defense in American history.
I had no idea this guy could fly planes. 👏 pic.twitter.com/CsuXiZyqUJ
— George (@BehizyTweets) October 22, 2025
“He was in the back seat,” one user simply wrote. “I don’t think anyone including him said he was flying it. The video shows him getting in the back seat,” a second added. “Community note for the win,” a third noted.
Regardless of the community note, there were many who believed the claims that the account made. Those supporters were quick to toot Hegseth’s horn. “It’s great to see someone with such diverse skills in a leadership role,” a netizen wrote while praising Hegseth’s non-existent flying skills. Another claimed that the next Top Gun: Maverick movie should feature the 45-year-old.
Several others agreed with the original post by crowning the Secretary of Defense as the best in American history. The full video was posted by Hegseth himself on Tuesday on his X account.
The video showed him prepping to be flown around in the jet. In the full video, the Secretary of Defense can be seen putting on a suit and getting in the backseat of the jet. After his joyride, the 45-year-old disembarks from the jet and is greeted by his wife.
He also meets up with a group of young children who unleash an attack on him with water guns. “ It’s an ambush, a straight-up ambush,” he can be heard saying in the clip. He then points to his mask and jokes about how there is no puke in there. “I didn’t even pull my mask off this time,” he adds.
