U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth boarded a plane headed to the country of Panama this week.
With the video below, Hegseth wrote: “Wheels up at @Andrews_JBA and headed to Panama! It is a privilege to represent the U.S. as the first SECDEF to visit the nation in over two decades.”
Wheels up at @Andrews_JBA and headed to Panama! It is a privilege to represent the U.S. as the first SECDEF to visit the nation in over two decades. pic.twitter.com/emqGrgr78Z
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) April 7, 2025
MAGA Congressman Mike Lee (R-UT) replied to Hegseth’s post by writing: “Please listen to ‘Panama’ by Van Halen at least twice before landing in that country. It’ll make your trip more effective.”
(Lee did not reveal his specific ideas about how the song would impact Hegseth’s effectiveness.)
On X, many MAGA supporters are voicing their approval of Senator Lee’s suggestion. Jeff Broussely wrote: “That’s great advice.”
Another replied: “The song was about Panama Speedway in Florida. But what the heck?”
Please listen to “Panama” by Van Halen at least twice before landing in that country
It’ll make your trip more effective
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) April 8, 2025
Note: During an interview with shock jock Howard Stern, former Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth said despite its name, the song Panama is not about the country but a car.
Roth said the song was written about a car called Panama Express which he saw race in Las Vegas.
The Van Halen song has been used by the U.S. military in the past. During President George H.W. Bush’s invasion of Panama in 1989, American soldiers reportedly played the song (and others including ‘I Fought The Law’ by The Clash, U2’s ‘All I Want Is You,’ and Bruce Cockburn’s ‘If I Had A Rocket Launcher’) for three days outside of the Vatican embassy in Panama where General Manuel Noriega was hiding. He later surrendered.