Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took to social media on Thursday to make the case for making what he called ― in all caps, no less ― “a GENERATIONAL DOWN PAYMENT on America’s national defense.”The White House is calling for a whopping $1.5 trillion in its 2027 military budget proposal, and the head of the Department of Defense, er, War defended the massive increase to Congress earlier this week.Many lawmakers, including some Republicans, are concerned about the possible length of the Iran war and the lack of congressional approval.Hegseth decided to make his case for the $1.5 trillion war preparation fund directly to the people — with an AI video that reminded some people of cheesy “Schoolhouse Rock” videos from the 1970s.The $1.5 trillion investment is a GENERATIONAL DOWN PAYMENT on America’s national defense.This investment guarantees the United States maintains overwhelming strength and unmatched deterrence against any adversary for generations to come. pic.twitter.com/2zOSlZkzNr— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) May 14, 2026Since $1.5 trillion is a lot of money, it’s no surprise people on social media had thoughts.🇺🇸 Pete Hegseth just asked you for $1.5 TRILLIONThe Secretary of War posted a 2 minute video of himself standing awkwardly in front of a green screen while animated graphics play behind him, pitching a "$1.5 trillion generational investment" he branded the "Arsenal of Freedom."… https://t.co/Ss4w7pNlBL pic.twitter.com/3YJwx0hdmR— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 14, 2026Many people mocked the AI slop on Hegseth’s video.How is this real?This is a pitch for $1.5 trillion and it looks like a bad Sora demo.The Pentagon is a clown show. What a tragedy. https://t.co/5vXF9yBTd1— Jim Stewartson, Decelerationist 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇺🇸 (@jimstewartson) May 14, 2026Nothing like an AI slop propaganda video from your government to make you feel safe & happy with the debt the US citizen is having to be stuck with. 😁😁😁 https://t.co/L0noptecvE— Phil Martinez (@Philup2212) May 14, 2026Why doesn't his mother buy him a proper sized suit? How can a man be so stupid and still dress himself? Where does he get these cheesy typefaces? Does he know that $50 -150 million is already spent on wasted munitions? Which if reordered and redropped would have zero impact? https://t.co/imooDk1aJZ— Robert Young Pelton (@RYP__) May 14, 2026Oh, and, yes, a few folks did question if the money Hegseth was asking for was a sound investment.I'm all for a strong military and fully support our troops... But how can we invest $1.5 Trillion in anything when we are $40 Trillion in debt? The math ain't mathing. Unless the numbers are utterly fake and meaningless. Can someone explain this to me like a kindergartner? https://t.co/aO52t5EYWa— Eric Spracklen 🇺🇸 (@EricSpracklen) May 14, 2026Hegseth calls it a “historic” Pentagon budget; we call it another $1.5T to feed the war machine, w/ no exit strategy, no accountability, and troops stuck shouldering the cost.That’s how forever wars continue. #EndForeverWarshttps://t.co/o1wOWs8K0g— Common Defense (@commondefense) May 13, 2026Bullshit, it's a shitload of government waste is what it is. The Pentagon has NEVER passed an audit, and now the fraud is worse than ever thanks to Pete Kegsbreath https://t.co/TPV46Omq9g— Liam Nissan™ (@theliamnissan) May 14, 2026The NewsCan't Wait.Neither Can We.Your SupportFuelsOur MissionYour SupportFuelsOur MissionSupport HuffPostMisinformation spreads fast. Fact-based reporting is how we fight back. Your membership funds the reporters holding power accountable every single day. 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