Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth joined the campaign trail on Monday to try to boost Ed Gallrein’s Trump-backed bid to oust Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) from Congress.

Hegseth made the very rare, but not unprecedented, move of joining the campaign trail while serving as defense secretary during wartime. Hegseth said during his remarks he was at the rally in a “personal capacity” so as to avoid running afoul of the Hatch Act.

At a campaign stop, Hegseth declared, “Because after you’ve led men in life and death situations, the games that are played inside the Beltway start looking pretty small. Now, contrast that with what we’ve gotten from Tom Massie.”

“At some point, being against everything becomes an excuse for accomplishing nothing. At some point, constant obstruction is not leadership. It’s just commentary. It’s obstruction. President Trump does not need more people in Washington who are trying to make a point,” Hegseth said, adding:

Especially from his own party. He needs people willing to help him win, to vote with him when it matters the most. And too often, Thomas Massie has acted like his job is to stand apart from the movement that President Trump leads instead of strengthening it. When President Trump needs backup, Massie wants to debate process. When the movement needs unity, especially at the biggest moments, Massie’s willing to vote with Democrats.

When conservatives are fighting the most radical left in American history, too often Massie’s instinct is to throw elbows at fellow Republicans instead of the people who are destroying our country or want to destroy our country. And there’s one man standing in their way and it’s President Trump. That’s it. And President Trump needs reinforcements. And that’s what warfighters do. They stand behind leaders and have their back. Warfighters understand mission. They understand teamwork. They understand loyalty. And they understand that in the middle of a fight, you don’t weaken your own side. You advance to the objective. And that is what Ed Gallrein understands.

Hegseth’s former colleague at Fox News, Laura Ingraham, offered a similar sentiment on X Monday, writing, “If Massie is a ‘true conservative,’ then why does everyone on the Left want him to win?”

Trump has been launching savage attacks on Massie in recent months, stemming from Massie’s opposition to his war in Iran and support for Israel. Massie and Trump’s falling out first came into public view after Massie opposed Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill for adding trillions to the national deficit.

Watch the clip above via C-SPAN.

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