‘We’re getting a kakistocracy’: Social media users are reeling over Trump’s defense secretary pick

On Tuesday evening, President-elect Donald Trump tapped Fox News host Pete Hegseth as his pick for Defense Secretary–the same man who believes germs aren’t real… because he can’t see them.

Hegseth is a decorated Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He also, in his own words, hasn’t washed his hands in over 10 years. “I don’t really wash my hands ever,” he admits unprompted on camera in a 2019 clip. “I inoculate myself. Germs are not a real thing. I can’t see them, therefore they’re not real.”

The news of Hegseth’s appointment has been met with criticism online. “We know that we’re getting a kakistocracy,” posted one user on Bluesky, resharing a 2019 article about the Fox news host. “But is there also a Greek term for rule by weirdos?”

For those unfamiliar with the term, Kakistocracy means “government by the worst people”, according to Merriam-Webster. The term was first used in the 17th century, deriving from the Greek words kakistos (worst) and kratos (rule) and, after falling into disuse over the past century, may be overdue a comeback in modern vocabulary.

As Trump gears up for his second term in office, he’s wasted no time making the first hires of his incoming administration. Hegseth’s appointment as Secretary of Defense is, for many, a textbook example of kakistocracy—rule by the least qualified.

The military veteran-turned-Fox News host went viral and was later sued after he struck a U.S. Army master sergeant in the arm with an errant ax throw during a 2015 Fox & Friends segment. “Is there any better metaphor for appointing a Fox News host as Secretary for Defence [sic] for the USA…?” one X user asked. “Here he is- Mr Pete Hegseth. Throwing an axe, at target in front of his face. Missing. And hitting a civilian.”

Eric Edelman, a former top Pentagon official from the Bush era, also voiced skepticism in an interview with Politico, noting that Trump seems to prioritize audience-facing loyalty over qualifications in his choice of appointments. “It appears that one of the main criteria that’s being used is, how well do people defend Donald Trump on television?” he said. “Who the fuck is this guy?” added an anonymous defense industry lobbyist, who had hoped for “someone who actually has an extensive background in defense. That would be a good start.”

Other appointments for Trump’s incoming government include billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” and puppy-killer Kristi Noem for Homeland Security Secretary—the same woman who is banned from more than 16% of her own state after she suggested Native American tribal leaders were catering to drug cartels.

As one X user put it, “every trump appointment is like “Donald Trump has appointed the Grinch as director of the Department of Christmas.”