Hegseth stumbled through a 10-minute speech, managing to shock the Navy service members by joking about bombing and even ripping his own son.

Self-designated Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was met with an excruciatingly awkward silence as he tried to act as a hype man for President Donald Trump during a speech. Hegseth took to the stage just before Trump on board the USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan on Tuesday, walking out to the Metallica song “Enter Sandman.” The band has previously ordered Hegseth’s agency not to use the track. “It is a long flight to get out here,” came the first effort at a joke to get the servicemen and women onside. It was met by a smattering of laughter.