In the shadow of an unpopular war, America's top defense official has taken his case directly to the people, wrapping a recruitment drive in the language of sacred calling. Pete Hegseth's 'Send Me Tour' moves through Texas and beyond at a moment when public trust in Pentagon leadership has reached a measurable low, with his net favorability sinking to minus 24 points. It is an old tension made new again: the gap between institutional need and public consent, between the call to serve and the will to answer it.