What happened when Pete Hegseth was asked if Trump is 'mentally stable enough to be commander-in-chief'? | In Pics

Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War, on Wednesday (Apr 29) was grilled in Congress over President Donald Trump's "unhinged" social media rants and his recent Jesus complex Truth Social posts. During a hearing on Capitol Hill, Hegseth was questioned by Democrat Sara Jacobs if Trump was "mentally stable enough commander-in-chief". Jumping to the POTUS' defence, Hegseth questioned if the same questions were asked about Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden. But what did the Secretary of War say about Trump's mental acumen? All you need to know.

When asked about Trump's mental stability, Hegseth first clapped back, questioning, “Did you ask the same question of Joe Biden for four years?”

"Mr. Secretary, Joe Biden is not the President. Mr. Trump has been president for a year and a half," Jacobs clapped back. To this, Hegseth replied, jumping to Trump's defence, "I won’t even engage with the level of disparagement that you’re putting on the commander-in-chief."

"He’s the sharpest and most insightful commander-in-chief we’ve had in generations," he claimed.

As the Iran war drags on, Trump's health has become a growing concern, partly because of his at times shocking, incendiary posts, most of which he pushes out at midnight when most Americans are sleeping.

A particularly concerning post published earlier this month threatened a whole civilisation. He declared that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if Iran did not accept his war demands.

In another post, he shared an AI- generated picture that depicted him as a Jesus Christ-like figure with divine light emanating from his hands onto a man lying in a hospital bed. Following massive backlash, the POTUS eventually pulled down the image and even offered a bizarre explanation, which also turned into meme material for the internet. "It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better," he claimed.

Hegseth also faced questions about Trump's AI Jesus post. "How can I explain this next post to my constituents?" asked Jacobs, adding, "I’m Jewish, so this doesn’t really bother me, but my understanding is that this is quite offensive to many Christians. So how do you explain this post?".

Responding with indignation, Hegseth said he was not there to explain the post. "We have an incredible commander-in-chief, okay, who puts our troops first," he claimed.

Jacobs informed Hegseth that Trump's mental health was a bipartisan issue. "Marjorie Taylor Greene said he’s out of control and he’s gone insane. Candace Owens said the 25th Amendment needs to be invoked. Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson—who you used to work with—Alex Jones, Stephanie Grisham, the list could go on," she noted.

Jacobs also voiced her frustration about explaining the unhinged posts to Americans. "So how do I explain to my constituents that while they are in harm’s way, their commander-in-chief is posting these unhinged posts?" she asked.

Notably, just before the hearing on Wednesday (Apr 29) Trump put out another "unhinged" post on Truth Social. It features an AI-generated depiction of Trump dressed in a dark suit and sunglasses while carrying a military-style rifle. "Iran can’t get their act together," said the post that was pushed out at 4 am.