Pete Hegseth responds to viral photo of him running with 'The Hulk'

A recent photo of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth running alongside the “real-life Hulk” has gone viral.

Hegseth has given an interview to Breitbart News in which he discussed the noteworthy moment.

“Yeah, I saw the guy that I was running with -- the real-life Hulk,” Hegseth said.

“He looks like me if I ate spinach or something. I mean, the guy’s a beast,” the Defense secretary went on.

“He’s just a beast, and I hope he’s internet famous beyond his dreams because that’s the kind of image I want of what the American military looks like — not me barely surviving behind him trying to survive 10th group PT,” Hegseth continued.

“But I’m glad that’s a visual that people have of our military. We want fit-to-fight guys and gals ready to go,” Hegseth explained.

“It was awesome to do PT with the troops,” Hegseth said about the time he recently spent with members of the 10th Special Forces Group stationed at Stuttgart, Germany.

“We’re gonna keep doing that. That’s not a one-off. It gives you a chance to talk to guys and gals in an unscripted way. They can give you some feedback,” Hegseth added.

Strength equals readiness. Kicked off the day with PT alongside the warriors of 1/10 SFG.

No bureaucracy—just sharp minds, strong bodies, and a mission-first mindset. pic.twitter.com/9lATvWhabH

— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) February 11, 2025

As a retired combat veteran and Army major himself, Hegseth has been reported to make “restoring the warrior ethos” in the military of the utmost importance.

Hegseth also noted the troops have responded positively to the changes he and President Donald Trump have made

The Pentagon leader says he experienced firsthand troops “just saying thank you, thank you to President Trump for having the courage to stand up.”

“The recruiting numbers -- we call it the Trump effect and it’s true -- a commander in chief who has their back really, really matters,” he said.

“So that’s been cool to see those numbers, but it’s more it’s been even cooler to see the faces of the people who are willing to stay in, signing up for the first time, the emails and letters that we get saying, ‘We’re inspired by President Trump and by your leadership and we want to join,'" he added.