&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Imagine. If. It. Was. Biden': Trump ridiculed for 'imagining' he saw Hegseth live on TV")
US President Donald Trump was ridiculed on Friday morning after he appeared to mistake an old Fox News clip for a live broadcast while praising one of his close allies online.
Trump praises Hegseth for ‘live’ TV appearance that wasn’t live
Posting on his Truth Social platform at 9:36 am, Trump wrote, “Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was great on Fox News this morning. Talking about modern weapons and warfare. Thank you also to Brett Velicovich, who really knows his ‘stuff.’ We are really on our way. MAGA!”
Also read: 'Unfortunately, far from Reciprocal': Donald Trump slaps 30% tariffs on goods from the EU and Mexico
However, the video of Hegseth, a former Fox News host and current Secretary of Defence under Trump, was actually recorded a day earlier and had aired in pre-recorded segments on Friday morning.
What was in the Hegseth video?
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In the video, which had originally been posted to Hegseth’s official X account on Thursday, he stands on the Pentagon’s lawn while drones hover around him. At one point, a drone delivers a memo, which he theatrically signs, saying he has ordered fast-track production and deployment of military drones.
Fox News aired the same clip four times between 5 am and 9:15 am on Friday:
• Once on Fox & Friends First
• Twice on Fox & Friends
• Once more on America’s Newsroom at 9:15 a.m.
Each time, the network clearly labelled it as Thursday’s footage.
Social media mocks Trump’s apparent mix-up
Online users were quick to poke fun at Trump’s post, suggesting he may have been confused. One user on X commented, “Imagine. If. It. Was. Biden.” Another wrote, “Perhaps a confused Trump thought it was live.” The X account Republicans Against Trump added, “Trump’s cognitive decline is getting hard to ignore.”
Hegseth was travelling on Friday
Despite Trump calling the segment a live appearance, Hegseth was not on live TV on Friday. According to his official schedule, the Defence Secretary was travelling that day. Although the video had been temporarily removed and re-uploaded, Fox News had not suggested at any point that it was being aired live.
