Jesse Watters Recounts Humorous Exchange with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Fox News host Jesse Watters recounted a humorous incident from a recent state dinner where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to hold his drink. The exchange occurred during a state dinner on Thursday honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Watters, appearing on "The Five" on Friday, shared that during the event, someone requested a photo, and he sought assistance to hold his beverage to avoid having it in the picture. He approached Hegseth, who had previously worked for Fox News before his appointment as defense secretary.

According to Watters, when he asked Hegseth, "Can you hold my drink because I don’t want to have a drink in a picture?" the defense secretary reportedly replied, "I can’t be seen holding a drink!"

The remark by Hegseth was interpreted by some as a reference to past rumors about his relationship with alcohol during his time at Fox News and potentially during his current tenure. In January of the previous year, Hegseth had reportedly addressed these rumors, vowing not to drink on the job if confirmed for his position.