Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, unable to last an entire interview without mentioning President Donald Trump, took some time during his appearance at the Army-Navy Game on Saturday to deliver a message from Trump to the troops watching at home.
“From President Trump: He has your back, we have your back, we honor you,” Hegseth said. “My job is to serve you, is to serve them, is to give every tool, authority you need to do your job to deter America’s enemies and keep us safe. And if we have to fight, we’re gonna fight to win, and that’s what the War Department’s all about.”
Hegseth, who served with the Army National Guard, joined the CBS Sports team before the game, and discussed the importance of the annual Army-Navy match-up.
“The key to real camaraderie is rivalry. The brotherhood is forged in difficult moments, so it’s on the gridiron here, but then later on, it’s in all the units that you serve with together, and on this day you pick sides, and every other day you’re on the same side,” Hegseth said.
Being an army veteran, Hegseth noted that he had typically cheered for West Point. But said that he’s now able to be “bipartisan” due to his role as Trump’s Secretary of Defense.
.@SECWAR full interview ahead of the ARMY-NAVY game. pic.twitter.com/cneSt38wKD
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) December 13, 2025
“This year, now I can be bipartisan, because the Department of War is everybody, so I did pick Navy for today’s game, trying to be a little balanced, but I love them all,” Hegseth explained.
The game, which pits the Army Black Knights of West Point against the Navy Midshipmen of the Naval Academy, took place at M&T Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, on Saturday.
Hegseth was joined at the game by Trump as well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. Trump performed the ceremonial coin toss before the start of the game.
The Midshipmen won the game 17-16, giving them their first back-to-back wins since 2014-15. As a result, the Navy also won the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy for the second year in a row.
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