Jake and Logan Paul’s Pentagon invite sparks backlash over ‘embarrassing’ time for military

Jake and Logan Paul have visited the Pentagon and delivered a 'deep, personal' speech to the United States Military.

On September 17, 2026, ahead of National POW/MIA Recognition Day, none other than internet personalities Logan and Jake Paul were invited to the headquarters of the Department of Defense, which now uses the secondary title Department of War.

And the government agency even took to social media to share a video of the YouTube brothers at the Pentagon meeting its 'warriors', including part of Logan's speech.

Standing at a podium, Logan can be heard reflecting on the 'pleasure' and 'privilege' of getting the 'cool' experience of touring the headquarters building in Arlington County, Virginia.

He continued: "We see all the men and women here who are serving this great nation. I don't think there's any greater commitment to sacrifice than those who are willing to live, die, and fight for this country.

"So, I think it's you guys who etch your names in history as you fight for and allow us in this country to have that freedom where we can prosper and be happy and be the great nation that we are.

"So, a deep, personal thank you from myself, my brother, and all of our fellow Americans."

The YouTuber concluded: "Each one of you matters. Take this moment and be proud of yourselves for what you do. This is the greatest country in the world, truly. We are blessed to be born here, come here, and we should never take that for granted.

"That's what God created us for to lift each other up in the hard moments, to be there for each other in the hard moments, and to come together as a collective and fight for good. That's why this country was formed. We should never forget that."

And it's not taken long for the comments to flood in.

One Twitter user said: "WW2 Vets: 'I remember Bob Hope entertaining us!'

"Desert Storm Vets: 'Robin Williams was great!'

"2026: 'There was that time the fake boxer and dude that opens Pokemon packs on stream came to tell us to fight for Israel.'"

Another added: "Had to triple check to make sure this wasn’t a parody account."

And a third wrote: "This is such an embarrassment."

While someone else echoed: "This has got to be the most embarrassing time to be in the military."

It follows Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also marking the occasion by sharing photographs of himself with the brothers in a post to X.

He captioned the post: "Great to welcome @jakepaul to the Treasury Department today.

"Jake’s path from content creator to entrepreneur and professional boxer is a distinctly American story."

Meanwhile, Jake wrote on X: "Thank you @SecScottBessent for your leadership in a critical time in American history. Honor to support @potus @realdonaldtrump and Bessent’s policies for an America built on hard work, dedication, and perseverance."

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez told UNILAD in a statement: "The Department of War was proud to host Jake and Logan Paul at the Pentagon this week. They toured the building, paid their respects at our 9/11 memorial, thanked our service members, and briefly met with Secretary Hegseth.

"The Department is grateful for their visit and continued support of our military."