As he arrived for his first day in his new role as US Defense Secretary, keen eyes of Jewish social media users were not on Pete Hegseth, but on the kippah-clad bodyguard standing behind him.
Hegseth arrived at the Pentagon on Monday and spoke to the press before entering the building with Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"It's an honor to serve on behalf of the president and serve on behalf of the country," Hegseth said. "In talking to the chairman and so many other folks here, we're in capable hands. The warfighters are ready to go."
Hegseth was accompanied by private protection, one of whom was sporting a visible black kippah, indicating the man may practice Orthodox Judaism.
Some social media users commented that they were surprised to see a kippah-wearing security guard, some saying they had never before seen it in America.
Hegseth's views
Hegseth, a former Minnesota National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was sworn in by Vice President J.D. Vance on Saturday morning to lead the Pentagon.
He has expressed in the past views that Islam has been captured by Islamists, saying in his 2020 novel American Crusade, that "is not a religion of peace, and it never has been" and that "all modern Muslim countries are either formal or de facto no-go zones for practicing Christians and Jews".
He claimed Islamists also plan to crush "our nation's Judeo-Christian institutions."
In a conversation with Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday, Hegseth stressed the two countries' "unbreakable bond."
The US secretary “noted his many years of support for the State of Israel and his friendship with Prime Minister Netanyahu," according to a press handout.
Hegseth “promised that the United States would stand shoulder to shoulder alongside Israel and was fully committed to its security."