Wait… did Pete Hegseth, who promised to stop drinking as Secretary of Defense, brazenly indulge himself in front of reporters?

If this current Trump administration weren’t part of reality, it would make for a one-of-a-kind dramedy series that could mark a generation and win all the Emmy awards.

Among the colorful characters that would make up its cast, there’s Pete Hegseth, infantryman turned Fox News weekend host, turned head of the US Defense Department, a significant leap up the career ladder that has earned him the informal, ironic, but popularized descriptor of the first “DUI” cabinet member hire.

Unfortunately, in the timeline we live in, as absurd as it might feel, what we are witnessing and experiencing is nevertheless the inescapable present circumstances that we can close our eyes to at our own peril – even if ignorance might feel blissful by comparison.

Hegseth recently debuted on the international world stage when he traveled to Poland and Belgium. During his stay, he met with and spoke to European leaders and ministers, NATO members, and international reporters. Unfortunately, a significant portion of what he said did not go down as well as the drink the Secretary of Defense kept sipping throughout a press conference preceded by a meeting with NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

If this were a TV series it would be called ‘Regression’ or ‘Indiscretion’

It is fair to say that Europe and the EU had already been antagonized by the Trump administration prior to Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance’s recent February visits. Both did so spectacularly poorly in terms of not treating their audience with aggravating condescension one would think they were on a side quest to see just how deep other nations’ animosity can run for reelected President Donald Trump and all the distasteful changes he has brought along with him.

“Make NATO Great Again,” is one of the many phrases uttered by Hegseth during the NATO Press Conference that probably incited its fair share of scoffs, raised eyebrows, and eye rolls. His expressed priorities were all about defense spending, increased military power, and prioritizing “lethality” – because one “can’t shoot values” – while little else seemed to be of importance.

To make matters worse, Hegseth admonished Europe for “not shouldering enough of its own defense,” and made it appear like only Ukraine would have to make concessions to end the war – including expecting to relinquish its Russian-occupied territory – because, when questioned about what concessions Vladimir Putin would be making, he employed purposeful vagueness instead of offering a concrete and direct answer.

At multiple times throughout the conference, one such instance recorded and posted to TikTok by @amiyaroses, Hegseth kept taking sips from a glass containing a translucent liquid. This, by itself, does not immediately raise red flags. It is usual for there to be drinks – usually water – at events where people speak for long periods. However, this is Pete “drunk-at-work” Hegseth we’re talking about. It would not be without foundation to think his promises of giving up alcohol might have been his way to assure he would not be forced to “Matt Gaetz” out of what could possibly be his dream job – emphasis on “dream.”

Hegseth’s remarks on the Ukraine-Russia war clashed at times with those of Vance, who declared that the possibility of sending US troops to the European country was still a possibility.

“There’s a new sheriff in town,” the Vice President said, speaking at a Munich security conference. During his speech, he decided to lecture EU officials about democracy and free speech. Normally, my role as a writer and journalist takes precedence over my nationality, however, as a European, Vance’s speech would be hysterically laughable if it were not so unbelievably insulting in its patronization and haughtiness, both in words as well as tone. It was all self-congratulation to Trump and America and disparaging and demeaning comments for everyone else. But it should be unsurprising that his priority – much like Hegseth’s – will always be to (try to) make Daddy proud.

At the end of Hegseth’s speech at the press conference, he asserted that “Uncle Sam,” would not be made into “Uncle S****r” – which he attributed to Eisenhower even though Reagan coined the phrase. However, to the same people he addressed, “Uncle Sam” certainly looks more like “Uncle Seen-better-days.”