Secretary of State Pete Hegseth on Tuesday struggled to say “e pluribus unum,” fumbling the traditional motto before U.S. troops helped him complete it. (Watch the video below.)

The latin phrase for “out of many, one,” appears on the Great Seal of the United States, but Hegseth couldn’t quite spit it out during a speech in Stuttgart, Germany.

Hegseth, a controversial Cabinet choice who faced accusations of heavy drinking, serial infidelity and sexual assault, was telling the audience that axing diversity, equity and inclusion practices was about “getting back to basics.” (The Trump administration’s targeting of diversity initiatives generated student protests on the military base where Hegseth spoke.)

He pledged the administration would treat every service member with respect regardless of gender, race or background, claiming that equality has been a bedrock of the military “for quite some time.”

“We should be damn proud of that, and we should continue to live that way,” he continued. “That’s the message we want coming out of the changes that are made.”

“E plubirus,” he declared, appearing to mix up the letters. “E ... help me out.”
“E pluribus unum,” soldiers can be heard responding in unison.

Hegseth repeated the phrase. “I need a drink of water,” he said, drawing laughter.

“Out of many, one,” he continued. “E pluribus unum. Out of many, one.”

“If there’s one institution that represents that perspective, it’s the United States military.”

E pluribus unum was the official national motto before Congress changed it to “In God We Trust” in 1956.