Is Pete Hegseth an alcoholic? The facts, examined

Former Fox News presenter and current United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has dominated headlines in the first months of the second Trump presidency for all the wrong reasons. He’s been leaking information like a sieve, was at the center of the embarrassing SignalGate debacle, and now even Trump himself won’t say he has complete confidence in him.

Most Washington insiders believe the writing is on the wall for Hegseth, and it’s a matter of when, not if, he gets the boot. The only reason he hasn’t been fired already is that Trump doesn’t want to give his critics a win, meaning the United States is stuck with a man who’s at best dangerously incompetent.

MORAN: You have 100% confidence in Pete Hegseth?

TRUMP: I don't have 100% confidence in anything pic.twitter.com/K3LDRgxpS3

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2025

But beyond all this is widespread gossip that Hegseth has a drinking problem that’s at the root of his many political flubs. So, is this accurate or just resentful sniping? Here’s what we know.

First up, multiple outlets, including NBC News and The Washington Post, say his Fox News colleagues expressed concerns about Hegseth’s drinking during his tenure as a Fox & Friends Weekend co-host. They say they smelled alcohol on him before broadcasts, heard him discuss being hungover, and felt they had to “babysit” him due to late arrivals and partying.

Who could have ever guessed that Pete Hegseth – the drunk Fox News reporter who almost killed a guy with an axe – would be Trump’s pick to be Defence Secretary, and would then go on to text war plans to a journalist from ‘the Atlantic?’ If you axed me, I never would have guessed! pic.twitter.com/bx8uDjqFdy

— Canada Hates Trump (@AntiTrumpCanada) March 24, 2025

The New Yorker added further fuel to the fire with an article alleging that Hegseth was forced to step down from Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) and Veterans for Freedom, partly due to alcohol abuse. A whistleblower report cited instances of Hegseth being heavily intoxicated at work events, including a 2014 incident where he was reportedly “passed out” and needed assistance to his hotel room.

His own family members have also claimed he has alcohol issues. In Jan. 2025, Danielle Hegseth, Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, submitted a sworn affidavit to the Senate Armed Services Committee, prompted by Senator Jack Reed. She alleged witnessing Hegseth intoxicated multiple times, including passing out at family gatherings and yelling in her face while drunk. She also claimed his second wife, Samantha, feared for her safety and had an “escape plan” involving a safe word.

Hegseth has even admitted he has a troubled relationship with drinking, describing it as “self-medication” in his 2016 book In the Arena. In a 2024 podcast, he jokingly remarked, “The less booze thing is not working out for me”, but vowed he’d stay off the sauce while in politics.

When faced with these allegations, Hegseth has dismissed them “false” and “smears” based on anonymous sources. Hegseth told Megyn Kelly in Dec. 2024, “I’ve never had a drinking problem,” and said no one ever suggested he seek help.

Despite this, serious questions remain whether Hegseth is capable of being Secretary of Defense, and whether alcohol is a contributing factor in his repeated poor security decisions. Arguably, it would be better if he was drunk when he’s making these mistakes, as at least in that case he might be more competent when sober. If we take him at his word that he’s teetotal right now, he’s screwing up and can’t even blame the booze, which is worse!