‘Media Personality’ Notes Pete Hegseth Doesn’t Salute Black Service Member – Twitchy

Mike Singleton says in his X bio that he’s a retired senior executive at NBCUniversal as well as a “cultural commentator with 8 million monthly impressions on X.” The impression he made on us is that he’s not very bright. Here, he tries to insinuate that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is racist for saluting everyone but the black serviceman as he deplanes.

Watch closely. As Pete Hegseth deplanes, he’s greeted by a group of soldiers. Hegseth salutes each one of them, except for the Black man. Seems very on brand for this administration. pic.twitter.com/t2yVyIwKUs

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) March 10, 2026

We did watch closely. He shakes the man’s hand, who then steps back. There are a few pending Community Notes that are pretty enlightening:

The service member not saluted is Fleet Master Chief Lateef Compton, an enlisted sailor. U.S. military protocol requires saluting officers, but not enlisted personnel. Hegseth returned salutes from officers and shook Compton’s hand.

You must not learn a lot about U.S. military protocol working at NBCUniversal.

You don’t salute enlisted.

— SNAFU (@SNAFU_Sara) March 10, 2026

When you’re a racist like Mike Sington, everything is about race.

— Populo Iratus (@astronomy89) March 10, 2026

“Tell us you know nothing about military customs and courtesies without telling us you know nothing about military customs and courtesies”….

— Toecutta (@Toecutta1) March 10, 2026

Because he’s enlisted.

— Al Tournas 🇺🇸🇮🇱⚓️🏌️‍♂️⛷ (@altournas) March 10, 2026

He shook his hand.
Seems like you’re being a bit petty.

— Internal Medicine (@DrTedO2) March 10, 2026

He’s so racist he didn’t salute him but he shook the black man’s hand. How racist!

You people are a joke.

— Geralt Of Rivia (@geralt_of_rivi) March 10, 2026

Recommended

Tell me you’ve never served in the military without telling me you’ve never served in the military

— Rocket Goblin (@Rocket_Goblin2) March 10, 2026

He’s saluting the officers. The black man is not an officer. Nice try though.

— Daddy’s Lambeau 🧀 (@Daddys_Lambeau) March 10, 2026

Seriously? Racism claims again? This is so played.

— Black Bear (@rjblack2) March 10, 2026

We’re old enough to remember when Democrats claimed Hegseth was a white supremacist from his Jerusalem Cross tattoo.

Man, you had to reach to find that race card. People like you are laughable.

— Mark Walker (@markwalker5555) March 10, 2026

Here’s the video not cropped quite so tightly:

This isn’t even a good attempt at a lie. pic.twitter.com/hBQslwbx6m

— Vet Dad (@VetDad25) March 10, 2026

It’s not. Hegseth has already been smeared as a white supremacist before, and that was debunked.

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Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America’s military.

Help us report on Trump and Hegesth’s successes as they make our military great again. Join Twitchy VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.