Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, has been branded “an absolute bum” after using the 82nd anniversary of D-Day to accuse Nato countries of failing to tackle illegal immigration. Standing at the Normandy American Cemetery in north-west France, Hegseth told the gathered audience: “Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different, dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not.”
The remarks, delivered on the anniversary of the Allied landings that liberated Nazi-occupied France, sparked immediate fury on social media. Former Labour MP Jamie Reed described Hegseth as “a bum with wet hair and a suit that doesn’t fit”. The i newspaper columnist Ian Birrell called Hegseth “the most repulsive character in Trump’s terrible team”, noting his previous blunder of sharing planned military strikes on a messaging app with a journalist.
“Pete Hegseth sparked outrage by attacking Nato migration policies during a D-Day commemoration in Normandy.”
The controversy follows a separate row involving US vice-president JD Vance, who blamed “the mass invasion of migrants” for the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak. Nowak was handcuffed and arrested by police as he lay dying after being wrongly accused of racism by his killer, Vickram Digwa. Digwa, who is Sikh, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years at Southampton Crown Court last Monday.
Responding to Vance’s comments, a No.10 spokesperson said: “In recent days we have seen people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets. The Nowak family are grieving after Henry’s horrific murder. They have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We should be respecting their wishes. Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country.”
Hegseth’s speech, which also recalled “the greatest amphibious assault in human history” and the courage of troops who threw themselves against Nazi forces, was condemned as deeply inappropriate for a sombre commemoration. Nearly 4,500 Allied troops were killed on June 6, 1944, attempting to liberate France. The defence secretary’s attack on European migration policies has further strained relations between the US and its traditional allies.