Fact Check: Does the video show Pete Hegseth drinking alcohol during a press conference?
WASHINGTON, DC: A video has been circulating on social media platforms claiming to show Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth drinking alcohol during a NATO press conference. The video surfaces amid the tensions between NATO and the United States surrounding the reopening of the Hormuz Strait. Let us analyze the video and fact-check the claim.
Claim: Pete Hegseth caught drinking alcohol
The viral video shows Hegseth speaking at what appears to be a NATO press conference and is seen drinking from a glass, which multiple social media users allege to be alcohol.
The video that has garnered more than a million views further accuses the War Secretary of being an alcoholic.
The post was accompanied by a caption stating, “New scandal shaking Washington! US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth caught holding what appears to be alcohol at a live NATO press conference!"
"The man accused by his own family and former witnesses of alcohol addiction, who pledged before Congress to quit drinking completely in exchange for his position… now appears to be drinking publicly in front of NATO defense ministers and millions of viewers!"
"How can the man who runs the world’s largest military manage a country if he can’t manage his own glass?”
Fact Check: The old video shows Pete Hegseth sipping water
The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence that the liquid in the glass is alcohol.
Also, the video is more than a year old, where Hegseth held a press conference following a meeting of NATO defense officials in Brussels in February 2025.
During the press conference, where Hegseth answered questions from reporters, he took several sips from a small glass on his podium. Higher-definition videos from the conference show that the liquid was clear and likely water.
Pete Hegseth's paranoia over replacement
The video resurfaced as Hegseth is reportedly struggling with intense "paranoia" over the possibility that he could be replaced by Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.
According to a report, the anxiety about Driscoll’s standing with President Trump contributed to the abrupt removal of Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, General David Hodne, and Major General William Green.
The internal tension stems from a March 2025 group chat scandal involving national security officials and a reporter.
“This is all driven by the insecurity and paranoia that Pete has developed since Signalgate. Unfortunately, it is stoked by some of his closest aides who should be trying to calm the waters,” one official told the New York Post.
