Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreFresh out of one scandal involving an AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship, Kid Rock has allegedly been treated to a personal joyride from the ‘secretary of war’ himself.The pro-Trump rock star got to fly in the gunner’s seat of one of America’s deadliest military machines along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday morning, according to investigative reporter Ryan Grim of Drop Site News.The two men each rode separate choppers, Grim reported, flying from Fort Belvoir on the outskirts of Washington D.C. It’s not yet clear who paid for the trip — or whether American taxpayers footed the bill.It comes after Hegseth personally intervened to lift the suspensions of a group of helicopter pilots who were pulled from duty after hovering beside the MAGA musician’s Nashville-area home in an apparent tribute on March 28.The White House, the Department of Defense, and Kid Rock’s agent did not immediately respond to questions fromThe Independent about who paid for Monday’s flight or why it happened.Apache gunships typically fly with a pilot and a gunner, but in this case Hegseth and Rock reportedly took the second seat (REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo)California’s outspoken Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom was unimpressed, saying: “Why are taxpayers paying to fly Kid Rock around on $100 million helicopters?”The AH-64 Apache is the U.S. military’s main attack helicopter, typically armed with a powerful 30mm nose-mounted auto-cannon and anti-tank missiles. Each one costs an estimated tens of millions of dollars to build, and reportedly costs upwards of $5,000 per hour to operate.In an Instagram video posted by Kid Rock’s manager Cory Gierman earlier this month, Rock — real name Robert James Ritchie — called the March flyby a “helicopter performance” given to him as a “gift” and a “tribute”.Two U.S. AH-64s fly on patrol above the Strait of Hormuz near Iran on April 18, 2026. Apaches have been widely used in the current Iran war by both the U.S. and Israel, including using their 30mm cannon to shoot down Iranian kamikaze drones (US Centcom)“I stood by the swimming pool to return the gesture, and I filmed it and I posted it online because I wanted to tell those hypocrites that this is what America should look like,” claimed the longtime Trump supporter.Afterwards, Hegseth announced: “Suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots. 🇺🇸”Drop Site News referred to Monday’s reported jaunt as an “incentive flight”, and Grim said that Kid Rock had flown to Fort Belvoir on his private jet.Grim added that Apache gunships are not typically stationed at Fort Belvoir, so it’s unclear where they originally were based.
