Trump Defense Nominee Pete Hegseth Promises Not to Drink on the Job
Fox News host Pete Hegseth, Trump's Department of Defense nominee, made a declaration: he will abstain from drinking alcohol if confirmed by the Senate. Hegseth has been facing allegations of being drunk while at work.
In an interview with Megyn Kelly, Hegseth framed this decision as a gesture of responsibility, stating that soldiers are not supposed to drink while deployed and he would view his role as defense secretary as being deployed. This was the exchange on Wednesday's interview:
Megyn Kelly: "So, have you stopped drinking now. Or what's the—"
Pete Hegseth: "It's wonder, thank you for asking that. So when I was, so my plan going forward, ongoing, is when I deployed we had something called general order number one, and general order number one, it is you are not allowed to drink while you are on deployment. Right? So if you're in Iraq and Afghanistan in a combat zone you're not allowed to drink. That's how I view this role as secretary of defense is that I'm not going to have a drink at all, and it's not hard for me because it's not a problem for me. But I need to make sure the senators and the troops and President Trump and everybody else knows when you call me 24/7 you're getting fully dialed in Pete, just like you always did in Iraq and Afghanistan. So this is the biggest deployment of my life and there won’t be a drop of alcohol on my lips while I’m doing it."
Pete and Jennifer Hegseth
If Hegseth's commitment to sobriety is contingent on Senate confirmation, one has to question his commitment to leadership responsibilities and if he has a drinking problem. A sudden pledge to teetotaling feels like a shallow attempt to bolster credibility rather than a substantive reflection of his readiness for a critical national security role.
Hegseth’s track record hardly inspires confidence. His tenure as a Fox News personality, marked by hyper-partisan rhetoric and a tendency to lean on soundbites rather than solutions, has left many questioning his qualifications for a position as vital as overseeing national defense.
Pete Hegseth on The Megyn Kelly Show
YouTube
Hegseth's public vow to lay off the booze does little to instill confidence from those that would serve under him. The stakes for national defense demand more than a nominee who makes a pledge not to be drunk on the job during a Megyn Kelly interview.
