Norms Impact
Bench Presses, Pull Ups … Kid Rock? The White House Had a Very Manly Week.
As war and public-health power sit on their desks, senior officials are branding governance as viral gym-room spectacle, eroding the norm that public office demands public-facing seriousness and accountability.
Feb 20, 2026
Sources
Summary
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a social media video of himself bench pressing over 300 pounds while his teenage son spotted him, as the United States faced the prospect of imminent military conflict with Iran. Senior Trump administration officials are using viral, hyper-masculine social media performances as a public-facing mode of leadership. The practical consequence is a shift in public accountability from policy and competence to spectacle, even as decisions on war and public health move forward.
Reality Check
The threat here is the normalization of spectacle as a substitute for accountable public leadership, especially when the same officials control life-and-death decisions on war and public health. Nothing described is likely criminal on these facts; the conduct instead degrades core governance norms by shifting scrutiny away from official acts and toward performative branding. When cabinet-level power is laundered through influencer-style content, we lose a basic democratic safeguard: the expectation that public authority is exercised—and explained—in the open, as policy, not theater.
Media
Detail
<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recorded and posted a video on Thursday showing himself attempting to bench press over 300 pounds while exercising, with his teenage son acting as his spotter. In the video, Hegseth said “Gotta keep the butt down” and then yelled “Don’t touch it!” to discourage assistance before successfully racking the weight. The post drew mixed reactions in comments.</p><p>Earlier in the week, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a video depicting himself shirtless while wearing jeans in a hot tub, chugging a glass of whole milk, and riding an exercise bike in a sauna, with the musician Kid Rock present. The posts appeared while the United States faced the possibility of military conflict with Iran and as these officials held authority over decisions that can affect vaccine schedules and the use of U.S. military force.</p>