Pete Hegseth mocked over his motivational speech aboard the USS Boxer

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a motivational speech to Navy sailors aboard USS Boxer in Singapore, attempting to inspire troops involved in the Iran war.

Hegseth recounted President Donald Trump's remarks about Iran accepting a deal or confronting, whom he described as "my guy on the left." Hegseth then redirected credit to the sailors, saying, "It's not me. It's you guys!"

The speech drew widespread mockery on social media.

"The cringe level is off the charts," journalist Aaron Rupar wrote on X.

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a veteran and frequent Trump critic, wrote, "Hegseth is an actor playing a Secdef in a cheesy movie."

Political commentator and Pastor Ben Dixon questioned Hegseth's role in the Iran war's casualties and destruction, while Royal Holloway University lecturer Gwilym Eades simply called the speech "stupid."

Critics appeared to view the remarks as tone-deaf, given the conflict's ongoing nature.

Watch the video below.

Your browser does not support the video tag.