‘Your mom bought it’: Pentagon responds with quip over Hegseth’s ‘Russian tie’ 

A senior Pentagon spokesperson has responded with a “your mom” joke when asked about US War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s choice of tie for a recent meeting with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.   

Hegseth opted for a white, blue, and red striped tie during Zelensky’s visit to the White House on Friday.

While the colors are also found in US national symbolism, media outlets noted that the arrangement of the stripes on Hegseth’s garment mirrored that of the Russian flag. Other members of the US administration, including President Donald Trump, wore solid-colored ties for the meeting. 

In response to a HuffPost inquiry on whether the war secretary was aware of the reaction from Russia and if he had worn the tie before, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell delivered a sharp retort on Monday, stating, “Your mom bought it for him – and it’s a patriotic American tie, moron.” 

Russian presidential aide Kirill Dmitriev had fueled the controversy by posting a photo comparing the tie worn by Hegseth to the Russian flag. In an effort to dispel the speculation, US Vice President J.D. Vance weighed in on the same social media platform, suggesting, “Or maybe he was wearing the colors of America.”