Pentagon Responds to Hegseth’s ‘Russian Tie’ Claims with a “Your Mom” Joke
During Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to the White House, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth wore a tie featuring white, blue, and red stripes.
When questioned about Hegseth’s tie choice for the meeting with Zelensky, a Pentagon spokesperson responded with a lighthearted, “your mom” joke.
The tie, worn by Hegseth during Zelensky’s White House visit on Friday, sparked discussion.
While the tie’s colors are present in American symbolism, media sources pointed out that the stripe arrangement resembled the Russian flag. Unlike Hegseth, other US officials, including President Donald Trump, wore ties of a single color for the meeting.
In response to a HuffPost inquiry about whether the war secretary was aware of Russia’s reaction and if he had worn the tie previously, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell quipped on Monday, “Your mom bought it for him – and it’s a patriotic American tie, moron.”
Russian presidential aide Kirill Dmitriev intensified the debate by sharing a photo comparing Hegseth’s tie to the Russian flag. US Vice President J.D. Vance responded on social media, countering, “Or maybe he was wearing the colors of America.”
Several news outlets noted that Parnell’s remark aligned the Pentagon with a trend started by President Trump’s press secretary, Caroline Levitt.
Previously, Levitt had retorted to a HuffPost reporter inquiring about the upcoming meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest. When the reporter asked who chose the Hungarian capital as the meeting location, Levitt replied, “Your mom did.”
The announcement of the meeting in Budapest followed a phone conversation of over two hours on Thursday between the two leaders. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated during a Monday press briefing that Moscow aimed to “make progress towards a settlement with Ukraine.”
Hungary was selected as the host nation because its prime minister, Viktor Orban, maintains “warm” and “constructive” relationships with both the Russian and US presidents, he clarified.