Pete Hegseth Confirms Helicopter Pilots Who Flew Over Kid Rock’s ‘Southern White House’ Will Face ‘No Penalty’: ‘Carry On, Patriots’

War Secretary Piet Hegseth lifted a suspension imposed on several US military flight crew members who flew an Apache helicopter low over a musician Children’s rock‘Southern White House’ while confirming they will face ‘no punishment’ for their actions.

The suspension was issued shortly after Kid Rock, 55, whose real name is Robert James Ritchieshared video footage on March 28 of one of the planes hovering over his pool at his Tennessee home as he waved, pumped his fist and saluted.

Speak with PoliticsArmy spokesman Major Montrell Russelsaid in a statement that an administrative investigation has been launched to “assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements,” noting that “appropriate action” will be taken if violations are found to have occurred.

However, at one message shared on his X account on March 31, Hegseth, 45, praised the crew members as “patriots” while thanking Kid Rock for posting the footage. He then confirmed that he had lifted the suspension of those involved.

“Thank you Kid Rock,” he wrote. “The suspension of US Army pilots has been lifted. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.”

When Kid Rock was asked about the incident, he mentioned his close friendship with President Donald Trumptells the local news channel WKRN that he was not concerned that the crew would face real consequences.

“I think they’re doing fine,” he said. ‘My friend is commander-in-chief. I mean, what are they investigating? They stopped for seconds… a minute?”

The musician, whose property is just a few miles north of downtown Nashville, added that he routinely greets helicopters training in the area.

“It was pretty cool that they stopped there,” he continued. “I didn’t expect that, but I thought it was pretty neat.”

Earlier in the day, reports had surfaced that the same two helicopters seen in Kid Rock’s footage had also flown over a “No Kings” protest being held in the city, prompting the military to issue a statement denying that the planes’ presence in the area was in any way related to the march.

However, the spokesperson noted that the behavior of the aircraft seen in the video was being investigated by senior officials, stating: “The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell maintain strict standards of aviation safety, professionalism and compliance with established flight rules. We take seriously all concerns regarding aircraft operations and their impact on the surrounding community.”

“These helicopters were flying a route in the Nashville area for training purposes. Any association with the No Kings Rally that also took place in Nashville that day is completely coincidental.”

Kid Rock shared two video clips of the helicopters to his social media accounts, the first of which showed him standing outside his home — which was built to look just like the White House — as a helicopter hovered low next to his infinity pool, just a few feet away from where the rocker was standing.

He was then seen greeting and clapping the helicopter before it flew off into the distance.

The second video, posted a few minutes later, shows a helicopter in the same position, with Kid Rock this time raising his fist in the air and pointing at the military plane while someone behind him films the entire scene. It is unclear whether the helicopter in the second clip is the same as in the first.

However, at the end of the second clip you see another helicopter flying past the site at a higher altitude.

In his X-post with the videos, Kid Rock took aim at the governor of California. Gavin Newsomwriting: “This is a level of respect that the governor of California will never know. God bless America and all those who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her.”

Kid Rock’s home in Tennessee, which he refers to as the “Southern White House,” was built to mirror 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, and took about twenty years to complete.

Located atop a hill in Nashville’s Brick Church Bellshire suburb, the property spans an impressive 26,000 square feet and is packed with unique amenities, including a gold urinal, which the rocker proudly showed off during a 2022 interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

There’s also a church, a barbershop and even a private gas station on the property, with two additional buildings flanking the “Southern White House,” according to images of the property.

From the videos posted by Kid Rock, it appears that he has also installed a miniature Statue of Liberty that overlooks his pool, while a large sign reading “Southern White House” is hung in the covered patio right outside the home’s rear entrance.

When Carlson toured the property in 2022, the home was still under construction, with Kid Rock noting to the Fox News host that he wrote “a check” for the land immediately after seeing it — proving that the incredible views of Nashville really sold him on the lot.

“I love architecture and interior design, and I have been dreaming about this for twenty years,” the musician said at the time. “You’ve got to make your mark somehow, right?”

After Carlson labeled the unfinished property “insane,” Kid Rock continued, “Yes, it’s seven miles straight to downtown Nashville.” When we walked up to pick up this property, we got our truck stuck, got ticks all over us and [my friend] said, let’s get out of here.”

But after walking to the spot now occupied by his back patio, Kid Rock admitted there was no turning back.

“We get here and I’m like, ‘Write them a check,’” he recalls.

After his belongings came together, Kid Rock began adding some additional design details, including an ornate antique bed purchased for him by a fellow musician. Zac Brownwho he noted is a “fan of antiques.”

Brown also added some pretty impressive decorations to the home in the form of a huge brass eagle that now hangs above the home’s main entrance, although Kid Rock revealed that he had the accessory plated in 24-karat gold after it was gifted to him.

Records show that in 2002, Kid Rock purchased a 150-acre parcel of land on which his property was built for the bargain price of $136,000, although it is now believed to be worth much more.

A few years before that interview took place, the musician began unloading several other properties in his portfolio, including a mansion in Detroit and a house in Malibu, revealing to Carlson in 2022 that he had been living in a double-wide trailer before moving into his “Southern White House.”