Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, 46, had a rough time on a South Carolina military base this week.
President Donald Trump hand-selected Hegseth to run the Department of Defense.
This meant flying to the Palmetto State for a work trip, where his big grand announcement backfired.
Hegseth was joined at the event by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He announced plans to rename a South Carolina military base after Lindsey Graham, the state’s recently deceased longtime U.S. senator.
The tribute to late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham turned into an embarrassing moment for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Throughout his speech to the servicemen and servicewomen on Aug. 10, Hegseth appeared fidgety as he constantly wiped his forehead.
Hegseth left the top two buttons of his shirt open, exposing the bottom of his neck and upper chest. At one point, he paused his prepared remarks to explain his disheveled appearance.
“By the way, I’m a Norwegian from Minnesota, so I sweat like a son of a b—h. This is South Carolina in August,” Hegseth told the assembled crowd as he ran his hand through his hair.
Hegseth blamed the Southern heat for his sweaty presentation, but viewers still revisited past drinking allegations.
According to NBC News, 10 former Fox News colleagues raised concerns about his drinking in late 2024. They alleged he sometimes smelled like alcohol on air and admitted to being hungover.
During his time as a “Fox & Friends Weekend” host, colleagues alleged that Hegseth smelled like alcohol before going on air at times and admitted to being hungover.
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In 2024, Trump’s team called the accusations that his then-Defense Secretary nominee might be an alcoholic “completely unfounded and false.”
Hegseth also claimed he “never had a drinking problem” before being confirmed by the U.S. Senate and Vice President JD Vance in a 51–50 vote in January 2025.
Despite those denials, the rumors of Hegseth overly enjoying the bottle remain a talking point online whenever the father of four seems off base in public.
“He’s an alcoholic,” an X user speculated. “These are alcoholic sweats. He hasn’t had it in a bit, and his body can’t handle the change. That’s why you see dry drunks who sweat all the time.”
A second person on the app tweeted, “Hahaha, too much drinking but blame it on Norway.” Another commenter declared, “He’s zooted out of his f–king mind.”
One of the derogatory internet nicknames Hegseth’s critics have adopted came into play when someone posted, “It’s the alcohol sweats, Kegsbreath.”
Bessent, 63, tried to cover for his fellow Cabinet member when he stepped to the microphone by saying, “Mr. Secretary, I can tell you I am a Scottish Huguenot from South Carolina, and it’s hot today.”
But just seconds after Bessent ran interference for his colleague, Hegseth pulled another move in front of the cameras that sent social media into a further frenzy.
A clip of Hegseth wiping his nose and running that same hand through his hair ignited widespread mockery aimed at the Princeton University and Harvard University graduate.
“Secretary of Snot,” joked one X account in reaction to the visual of the second-highest-ranking civilian in the American military essentially spreading nasal mucus to the rest of his body.
Another commenter exclaimed, “Eewwww!” One reply to that tweet read, “Nose oil for his hair. Yuck!” Someone else on the platform wondered, “Is he drunk already?”
Whether it is whispers of alcohol abuse or questions about his personal hygiene, Hegseth remains one of the most scrutinized members of the Trump 2.0 administration.
Hegseth has his outspoken detractors, but he still has the support of his boss. President Trump, 80, recently insisted on Truth Social that he is “extremely happy with the job” of his defense secretary.
