Pete, 46, and Jennifer, 49, joined cadets for PT as part of the defense secretary’s “Send Me Tour,” which is focused on connecting with military cadets and veterans and promoting domestic manufacturing in the defense industry.
“There is NO better way to kick off the SEND ME TOUR than with early morning PT with the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets,” Pete wrote on X on September 19, alongside a photo of himself and Jennifer running up a staircase.
Pete later addressed the cadets inside a massive stadium while wearing a gray shirt that read “This is War.”
“A department that’s focused on the basics, the warrior ethos. No more ideological garbage anymore, no more DEI garbage and social engineering. That’s all done,” he said.
“We don’t do critical race theory. We don’t do DEI. We do colorblind, gender neutral, merit-based, merit only. Discipline, accountability, readiness, training, lethality, that’s it. If it doesn’t contribute to any of those things, we don’t want it,” Pete added.
Jennifer’s appearance came shortly after reports revealed the nickname some Pentagon staffers allegedly use for her.
Sources told the Daily Mail that employees have compared Jennifer to Yoko Ono, the widow of The Beatles legend John Lennon.
Ono has long been portrayed as having wielded significant influence over John, with her role in the Beatles’ breakup remaining a subject of debate.
“Now there’s a woman with an extremely tight leash on the man she married,” one source told the outlet.
“She’s like his parole officer and PR agent all at once,” another source said.
Pete and Jennifer met while working at Fox News and began an affair in 2016, while Pete was still married to his second wife, Samantha Deering.
Pete and Jennifer welcomed their daughter, Gwendolyn, in 2017, the same year Samantha filed for divorce.
The New York Times previously reported that Jennifer has become deeply involved in her husband’s work.
More than a dozen current and former administration officials and people close to Jennifer described her as Pete’s influential adviser.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell described Jennifer as “an accomplished leader in her own right and a devoted military spouse.”
“She is a vital asset and a true force multiplier for our mission,” he said in a statement to the Daily Mail. “Because of her exceptional capability and the profound impact of her work, the Department of War not only welcomes her current leadership but actively plans to involve her even more deeply in the future. She is simply that valuable to our community and our nation.”