For those who dislike Donald Trump, the only thing worse than Trump actually trying to get a third term in office is having one of the people in his Cabinet get their hands on the Oval Office after him. That’s what some believe Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is after, especially because he made a personal trip to Iowa to support Republican congressional candidate Zach Nunn.
But in one post TikTok, people joked that Hegseth has only one real choice for his vice president, should he actually make a bid for president in 2028: Kid Rock. Yes, that Kid Rock. The same man who has pledged allegiance to Trump and MAGA and everything that allegiance entails.
People are convinced that Pete Hegseth is running for president in 2028.
LOOK WHO THINKS HE CAN BE PRESIDENT
— Lovable Liberal and his Old English sheepdog (@DougWahl1) August 18, 2026
Pete Hegseth was in Iowa today, for what the Pentagon is call a "personal capacity" visit. Part of that visit was attending the Iowa State Fair… which has a lot of people speculating that he is going to run in 2028.
Your Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/X35rOxfAVo
According to CBS News, Hegseth traveled to Iowa in August 2028 on a personal trip to show support for Nunn. But others took this to mean that Hegseth plans to launch his own campaign, though his bid would be for presidency in 2028. It’s not common for those who hold the title of secretary of defense to campaign for someone for political office. Because of that, there are theories that Hegseth is looking to change his own political position.
As of now, Hegseth has not announced plans to run for president in 2028. Per The Washington Post, Hegseth might choose to run once his term as defense secretary is over. His role would technically end in 2029, when Trump’s second term is over. As an important election state, Iowa holds some weight, so Hegseth making time to support a Republican candidate for Congress while physically appearing in the state does add to the speculation about his possible run for president.
The public’s perception of Hegseth as a president, however, might not be great.
One user on a Reddit thread about Hegseth’s rumored bid for presidency wrote, “Wow. There is somebody out there that would be worse than Trump. Hadn’t thought of that.”
Another joked, “Gonna be hilarious when like five members of the Cabinet independently launch presidential bids. At least we know they won’t support an illegal third term.”
His VP pick could only be Kid Rock, a MAGA supporter and friend.
@aaronparnas1 8/18
♬ original sound – Aaron Parnas
In February 2026, Kid Rock headlined Turning Point USA’s alternative half-time show. Around the same time, he got chummy with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and showed continuous support for all things MAGA. So when someone posted on TikTok about Hegseth potentially running for office, a user commented to jokingly suggest Kid Rock as his VP. Let’s not will something like that into existence, though.
“And Kid Rock as VP?!” They wrote.
To that, someone responded, “I know you’re just joking around when you say that, but please don’t say that. I mean look what we got stuck with twice. And that mess started off as a joke.”
Another user joked, “Nicki Minaj as the press secretary.”
Mostly, though, people don’t love the idea of someone like Hegseth making the move from his role, which he unofficially changed from secretary of defense to secretary of war, to the Oval office.
He was rumored to be running for office in Tennessee.
In July 2026, NBC News reported that Hegseth had plans to run for office in Tennessee in 2026, which would effectively end his run as the defense secretary. Because there are rules against civilian employees of the Defense Department running for office, though, Hegseth would have to leave his position if he were to run for office. That might include a bid for the presidency in 2028.
At the time, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman Sean Parnell said, “Hegseth’s focus remains solely on serving under President Trump.”
But there is still plenty of time for that focus to shift.
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