California Governor Gavin Newsom trolls US President Donald Trump after Pete Hegseth calls military 'too fat'

California Governor Gavin Newsom took a swipe at US President Donald Trump after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticised the military's fitness levels. Hegseth had recently made controversial remarks at a meeting with generals and admirals, suggesting the military had become too overweight and too focused on ‘woke’ ideologies, calling for a return to a stricter, more physically demanding military culture.

See the image here posted by Gavin Newsom

In response to these comments, Newsom posted a photo of Trump, taken at a McDonald's last October, along with a sarcastic caption saying, "I guess the Commander in Chief needs to go!" His press office also shared a doctored image of Trump holding two McDonald's burgers, with drones flying in to deliver more fast food. The accompanying caption read: "IT’S COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE TO SEE A FAT COMMANDER IN CHIEF IN THE HALLS OF THE WHITE HOUSE!"

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Hegseth’s remarks at the military gathering emphasised the need for reform, criticising what he called decades of military decline. He argued that the armed forces should be focused on fitness and discipline, rather than left-wing issues, and called for a return to ‘high standards’ in terms of appearance and behaviour. His comments also targeted policies such as grooming rules, which he argued were too lenient, particularly in allowing shaving waivers for Black troops. During his address, Hegseth defended his recent firings of high-ranking officers, including the Army’s top general and the Navy’s top admiral, both of whom were either women or people of colour.

"This speech is about fixing decades of decay, some of it obvious, some of it hidden. "Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading, and we lost our way. We became the 'Woke Department.' But not anymore," "Hegseth said, as he called strict grooming standards, including a one-year cap on shaving waivers that are disproportionately used by Black troops. "Standards must be uniform, gender-neutral and high -- if not, they're not standards. They're just suggestions, suggestions that get our sons and daughters killed," Hegseth was quoted as saying. "The era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos," Hegseth told the audience, which sat in silence.