The United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, completed 44 repetitions on the bench press following a morning run with the troops at Guantanamo Naval Base, according to the official DOW Rapid Response account on X this Thursday, gathering over 1.4 million views in less than 24 hours.
The image accompanying the post shows Hegseth lifting a barbell loaded with blue Rogue discs, flanked by two military personnel in olive green uniforms as observers, with the flags of the United States, Navy, and Marine Corps in the background and a sign that reads “REPUBLIC OF CUBA - FREE TERRITORY”.
The training took place on Wednesday during the visit of Hegseth to the Guantanamo naval base, where he arrived wearing a green t-shirt, black shorts, and sports shoes, immediately joining the morning training alongside marines, soldiers, and sailors.
The session included a formation run along a gravel path beside a barbed wire fence, leg exercises, and the now-viral bench press, all before the official delivered a politically charged speech to the troops.
In that speech, Hegseth issued a direct warning to the Cuban regime: "It would be unwise for the government of Cuba to try to acquire or gain access to types of weaponry capable of reaching this base or the continental territory of the United States. They would be inviting a confrontation that not only they do not desire, but one they also could not withstand."
He also proclaimed what he called the "Donroe Doctrine"—a play on words between Donald and Monroe—stating: "The Monroe Doctrine is not only alive; the Roosevelt Corollary is not only in effect, but now we have the Donroe Doctrine. We are reclaiming our hemisphere."
The question lingering in the air, given the contrast between the physical demonstration of the secretary and the image of the Cuban leaders, has been raised by numerous users on social media: how many repetitions could Díaz-Canel or other leaders complete?
The regime spokespersons reacted with indignation to the images: presenter Marxlenin Valdés described the visit as "Hollywood's spectacle society," while Gerardo Hernández Nordelo posted a meme comparing the base to a Cuban resort: "Oh, is it Guantánamo? I thought it was Varadero!"
On the other hand, hundreds of Cuban women responded humorously on Facebook to the official's photos in sports attire, with comments like "I'm ready to volunteer" and "Definitely, with these specimens there will be no war, since Cuba has already been ceded by the Cuban women."
This was Hegseth's second visit to Guantanamo as Secretary of War — the first was on February 25, 2025, focusing on the migrant detention facilities — and it comes amid a sustained escalation of tensions, which includes the deployment of more than 1,300 marines in the Caribbean under Operation Southern Spear on May 29.
After the training and the speech, Hegseth flew to Tampa, Florida, home of the Central Command, leaving behind a base that, in his own words, he has no intention of abandoning: "It is a very important and strategic U.S. ground. We have been here for over 100 years and we will continue to be here."
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