Pete Hegseth’s bizarre comments about germs resurface after Trump touted him as new defense secretary
Resurfaced footage shows Donald Trump’s new Secretary of Defense bragging about not washing his hands.
The president-elect had already attracted attention by appointing a television personality to the position – Pete Hegseth of Fox News – as he will soon have the most power over the US military after Trump himself.
So a wave of investigation ensued, bringing some of the 44-year-old TV personality’s viral clips back to light.
The 2019 segment on germs is one of them, showing the Minnesota-born Army National Guard officer apparently telling his colleagues that he “didn’t wash his hands.” [in] 10 years.’
A mixture of laughter and what appears to be disgust follows, although Hegseth later clarified that he made the comment in jest.
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Resurfaced footage shows Donald Trump’s new Secretary of Defense bragging about not washing his hands
The president-elect had already attracted attention by appointing a television personality to the position – Pete Hegseth of Fox News – as he will soon have the most power over the US military after Trump himself.
“As I told you, my 2019 resolution is to say things on air that I say off air,” Hegseth begins saying, flanked by co-hosts Jedediah Bila and Ed Henry for the February 10, 2019 edition from ‘Fox & Friends’. Sunday.’
“I don’t think I’ve washed my hands in ten years,” he added, before receiving an odd mix of laughter and groans from his colleagues.
Bila, who is sitting next to him, can be heard saying, “Someone help me,” which eventually caused a firestorm on social media.
As Bila and Henry responded in real time, Hegseth seemed to double down – speaking over the pair’s jeers and giggles.
‘What? I never actually wash my hands,” he tells them both.
‘I would get myself vaccinated. Germs don’t really exist. I can’t see them, so they’re not real.’
His speech didn’t come across as serious, but a barrage of criticism on social media soon followed – as well as some strong fact-checking.
A post from Snopes would later explain, “The context of Hegseth’s comment and the reactions of his co-hosts indicate that he was joking.”
So a wave of research followed, bringing the forgotten issues to light again. Moreover, the 2019 clip about germs is one of them, showing the former Army National Guard officer apparently telling his colleagues that he “didn’t wash his hands.” [in] 10 years
But his humor was lost on many who saw it. One response read: “Ewwww Pete Hegseth, stay the fuck away from me.” Another wrote: ‘Is there a ten year old available to brief Hegseth on this subject?’
The comments were enough to eventually provoke a response from Hegseth, arriving on Twitter days later claimed he was joking.
In a series of deleted posts, he painted publications that reported the comments as “self-righteous and angry.”
The explanation has since been removed, which may have fueled the current confusion surrounding the topic.
Meanwhile, other unflattering clips and photos of the president-elect’s surprise choice continue to surface — including one showing him accidentally hitting a West Point drummer with an ax while filming a live TV segment.
There is a mix of laughter and what appears to be disgust, although the latter was later refuted
Meanwhile, other clips and photos of the president-elect’s surprising choice continue to surface, including this one of his tattoos
Another shows him accidentally hitting a West Point drummer with a throwing ax during a live TV segment in 2015. The drummer reportedly suffered “minor injuries.”
The drummer went on to say that he suffered only “minor injuries,” allowing the man once suggested as a possible candidate to head the Department of Veterans Affairs to continue his rise to where he is today.
Two decades earlier After graduating from Princeton University in 2003, Hegseth had just enlisted and been commissioned as an infantry captain in the Army National Guard, subsequently serving overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He was also stationed at Guantanamo Bay and was then named head of the Concerned Veterans for America, a group backed by billionaires Charles and David Koch.
He also ran unsuccessfully for Senate in Minnesota in 2012 before joining Fox as a contributor in 2014.
He married television producer Jennifer Cunningham Rauchet in 2019 — not long after he first became acquainted with Trump thanks to his media status during the then-president’s first term.
The two quickly developed a friendship – thanks in part to Trump’s regular appearances on Fox News.
A photo from his social media platforms shows him in military gear. Hegseth served abroad in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantánamo Bay
Hegseth is married to television producer Jennifer Cunningham Rauchet, and the couple tied the knot in 2019
Hegseth and Rauchet joined Trump in promoting his book at the president-elect’s golf course in Bedminster, NJ
Hegseth wears a tuxedo, lined with an American flag and with a muted flag buckle
Hegseth is depicted with his four children, from two different marriages, as well as Rauchet’s three children from her first marriage
When Trump formed his first Cabinet after his 2016 victory, Hegseth was reportedly considered to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Two years later, Trump again considered the then 38-year-old for the post, ahead of the 2018 impeachment of incumbent David Shulkin.
In 2019, Hegseth urged Trump to pardon U.S. service members accused of war crimes by interviewing their family members on Fox News, as well as posting on social media to advocate for them.
The effort would ultimately be successful, with Trump that year pardoning a U.S. Army commando accused of killing a suspected Afghan bomb maker, as well as a former Army lieutenant convicted of murder for killing his men had ordered to shoot at three Afghans – two of whom were killed.