President Trump’s Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, is being criticized for giving singer Kid Rock a ride with U.S. Army Apache pilots.
Hegseth wrote: “Joined my friend @KidRock — and some of our great @USArmy Apache pilots — for a ride this morning. (More to come on that!) Kid Rock is a patriot and huge supporter of our troops. The War Department is wasting no time celebrating America’s 250th — home of the free because of the brave.”
Critics of the Trump administration, including social media influencer Harry Sisson, replied: “You spent our taxpayer dollars on helicopter joy rides with Kid Rock?” and influencer Tracy Gallagher asked Grok to explain why having Kid Rock flying in an Apache violates Army Reg 95-1 and DoD 4515.3 and to explain the security risks.
Joined my friend @KidRock — and some of our great @USArmy Apache pilots — for a ride this morning. (More to come on that!)
Kid Rock is a patriot and huge supporter of our troops. The War Department is wasting no time celebrating America’s 250th — home of the free because of the… pic.twitter.com/7EyhlaCeUj
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) April 28, 2026
Grok replied to Gallagher: “AR 95-1 (Flight Regulations) and DoDI 4515.13 (updating prior DoD 4515.3/4515.13R refs) restrict passengers on Army aircraft to specific authorized categories: official duty, emergencies, approved orientation flights, or public affairs per high-level approval. Apaches are combat aircraft, not passenger-configured (tandem crew seats only, min 2-pilot crew per operator manuals). Civilian ‘joyride’ with one pilot to free a seat violates passenger/crew rules unless waived at general officer level—and Kid Rock (non-DoD, non-official) doesn’t qualify under standard eligibility. Security risks: uncleared civilian in cockpit exposes classified avionics, targeting systems, and flight controls to potential OPSEC compromise.”
Others complained that the time and money spent on the “ride” are inappropriate at a time when the U.S. is at war with Iran. As one commenter replied: “While you were [expletive] around… why was a sanctioned Russian yacht allowed to cross our blockade?”
[NOTE: The New York Times reported Tuesday that a 464-foot yacht linked to Russian oligarch Aleksei A. Mordashov, who is under American and European sanctions, passed through the Strait of Hormuz.]
A $500m megayacht linked to a sanctioned Russian oligarch just passed through the Strait of Hormuz amid the US blockade, according to tracking data. Erin and Seth Jones react: pic.twitter.com/IX7ASq8NxM
— Erin Burnett OutFront (@OutFrontCNN) April 28, 2026