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Pete Hegseth sparks mockery, anger as he fails to name ‘ASEAN’ nations at Senate hearing: ‘My 12-year-old grandson…’
Pete Hegseth, who appeared for Senate hearing on Monday, seemed to be unaware of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Pete Hegseth, who appeared for Senate hearing on Tuesday, seemed to be unaware of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
President-elect Donald Trump's defense secretary nominee stated that he could not provide the number of ASEAN nations and then went on to list those that are not members.
The Senate Armed Services Committee questioned Hegseth on Tuesday at the Capitol in Washington.
Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth stated that Hegseth is “not qualified” for the position of defense secretary, which would involve heading international negotiations.
“You talked about the Indo-Pacific a little bit, and I'm glad that you mention it—can you name the importance of at least one of the nations in ASEAN and what type of agreement we have with at least one of those nations, and how many nations are in ASEAN by the way?” he asked.
In response, Hegesth stated he “couldn't tell you the exact amount of nations in that,” but surprisingly added that the US has “allies in South Korea, in Japan and in AUKUS with Australia.”
Duckworth stopped him and told him that “none” of these three nations he mentioned are part of ASEAN. He then suggested him to “do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations.”
A video of the hearing went viral on X and garnered over 2.8 million views.
Pete Hegseth faces flak
Meanwhile, several users on X slammed Hegseth over his lack of knowledge on ASEAN, calling him unqualified.
“At best, this guy is a TV show host, who is a veteran. He has no business even being on a list for a cabinet appointment,” one X user wrote.
“My 12-year-old grandson can name them all [Asean nations], show them on a map as well as the two observing nations,” another quipped.
“The level of incompetence in the second Trump administration is going to be off the charts,” a third user wrote.
Which Southeast Asian Nations are part of ASEAN?
ASEAN encourages political, economic, and cultural cooperation among its member nations. At present, it includes Brunei, Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. East Timor will be soon added as the eleventh nation.
The US intends to leverage ASEAN's regional influence to counter China's increasing clout, according to the Associated Press. The US is a treaty partner of ASEAN with members Thailand and the Philippines.
In 2022, President Joe Biden stated during an ASEAN meeting that the group was “at the heart of (his) administration's Indo-Pacific strategy.”
The US Defence Secretry is in charge of establishing the direction of American military and defence policy and is in charge of the nation's Department of Defence.
Hegseth, an ex-host of Fox News, is among Trump's most contentious Cabinet choices. He has previously stated that women shouldn't serve in combat situations and called for the removal of “woke” military commanders. Hegseth has also supported the pardoning of military personnel who have been charged with war crimes.
