Watch: Hegseth Cracks Hilarious Army-Marine Joke, Shares Kids' 'Overtime' Joke About Last-Minute Confirmation

Watch: Hegseth Cracks Hilarious Army-Marine Joke, Shares Kids' 'Overtime' Joke About Last-Minute Confirmation

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth kicked off his tenure at the Pentagon early Saturday, blending humility and humor with a stark warning to any adversaries contemplating a challenge.

After being sworn in following a dramatic tie-breaking vote in the Senate cast by Vice President J.D. Vance, Hegseth opened with a lighthearted nod to both men’s military backgrounds.

Vance served in the Marine Corps, while Hegseth is a former officer in the Army National Guard.

“It’s not the first time the headline reads ‘Junior Enlisted Marine Bails Out Junior Army Officer,’” Hegseth quipped, earning laughter from the audience and a visible grin from Vance.

At another point, Hegseth brought up his children, who had witnessed the drama surrounding his confirmation vote.

“Sen. Markwayne Mullin was kind enough to take my kids up to the gallery to watch the moment the vice president sealed the deal,” Hegseth said, referring to the Oklahoma Republican.

“They came running in and said, ‘Dad’ — instead of being upset about it being 51-50 — they said, ‘Dad, you won in overtime.’”

Given the rocky road to his confirmation, Hegseth’s blend of humor and humility is likely to serve him well.

Since his nomination, Hegseth has been a prominent target of Senate Democrats and mainstream media outlets.

Anonymous sources alleged he had a history of drinking while on the job at Fox News. Other accusations included claims of sexual misconduct, in addition to well-documented marital infidelity.

(Hegseth, now in his third marriage, has openly acknowledged his struggles with heavy drinking in the past.)

In a late-breaking development, NBC reported that the former wife of Hegseth’s brother provided a sworn affidavit accusing him of physical and sexual abuse against his former spouse, Samantha Hegseth.

Despite the onslaught of criticism, Hegseth pressed on, bolstered by the unwavering support of President Donald Trump.

After being sworn in, Hegseth took a moment to express gratitude to his backers in the Senate, his staff, and supporters outside Washington.

“There were so many folks on the inside, and allies on the outside, who stood by us every single moment, and we’re eternally grateful for that,” he said.

He reserved special thanks for the men and women of the military who will now be under his command.

“Other people don’t know what they did in dark and dangerous places, but I know,” Hegseth said. “At the Pentagon, we’re going to remember, and we’re going to know. And we’re going to think about those warriors with every single decision that we make.”

Hegseth also reiterated the guiding principles he plans to bring to his role.

“Restore the warrior ethos in everything that we do,” he declared. “Rebuild our military, and reestablish deterrence.”

And his message to potential enemies was unequivocal.

“We don’t want to fight wars,” he said, “but if we need to fight them, we’re going to bring overwhelming and decisive force to close with and destroy the enemy and bring our boys home.”

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