Pete Hegseth said Europe should ‘say thank you’ to Donald Trump for going to war with Iran and the entirety of Europe replied as one

Donald Trump’s ability to pack his cabinet with the least likeable people in America knows no bounds. And surely none of them are less likeable than Pete Hegseth.

As if to reinforce that point, the secretary of defence, sorry, war has been doing his bit for the White House PR machine by suggesting that European nations should say thank you to Donald Trump for his war on Iran, which none of them asked for and even fewer of them want to take part in.

Hegseth: “Our ungrateful allies in Europe, even segments of our own press, should be saying one thing to President Trump — ‘Thank you. Thank you for the courage to stop this terror stage from holding the world hostage while building or attempting to build a nuclear bomb.'” pic.twitter.com/EpuPOUDd6I

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 19, 2026

The master of the art of misreading a situation, Hegseth at least managed one thing that has escaped a fair few people of late. He managed to unite the entire continent of Europe as one.

1.

Grateful for what, exactly? Let Mr. Hegseth count the ways.
1.Abandoning Ukraine mid-war
2.The Greenland annexation fantasy
3.Tariffs on allies who still answer the phone
4.A defense secretary with no defense experience
5.Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. Again.
6.Gutting…

— Gandalv (@Microinteracti1) March 19, 2026

2.

How about ‘Fuck you!’? https://t.co/XCDgt73YXT

— Lars Christensen (@MaMoMVPY) March 19, 2026

3.

What is their weird obsession with people “thanking” Trump for screwing things up?

— Sisyphus Unleashed. Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦👊🇺🇦 (@SisyphusUnleas) March 19, 2026

4.

I wish we had a FUCK YOU TRUMP day where everyone, at the same time, yells “fuck you trump”. It will be the first global national holiday.

— BearWithMe (@snowytrade) March 19, 2026

5.

We have a saying: if everyone smells like shit, maybe it’s you.

— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) March 19, 2026

6.

Is it possible for a person to be less professional than this guy?

— Memnon (@MemnonofRhodes) March 19, 2026

7.

US intelligence has reported multiple times that Iran was not attempting to build a nuclear bomb. https://t.co/zeS4APvRyg

— Maine (@TheMaineWonk) March 19, 2026

8.

Thank Trump? For higher oil and gas prices? For wrecking their economies? For insulting them over and over again? For treatening to take their territory? For refusing to help them with Ukraine? For helping Putin at every chance? https://t.co/CKgTuIJOB8

— C-Bo the Eggman (@CBoTheEggman) March 19, 2026