Wait, What Was in Pete Hegseth's Cup During His Televised NATO Press Conference?

When Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) for a press conference on Feb. 14, 2025, one big question for many was what he was drinking as he stood at the podium. In a YouTube video, Hegseth takes a sip of a yellow liquid that some believe was not apple juice, as others more innocently suspected it was.

So, what was Pete Hegseth drinking at the podium at NATO? He has publicly admitted to using alcohol in the past as a way to medicate himself. He said as much in 2021 on The Will Cain Show podcast, where he admitted to drinking heavily after he returned home from serving in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, and Iraq. But does that mean he openly consumed alcohol at the podium?

In the video, which is on YouTube, Hegseth is shown speaking to reporters and taking questions. Toward the end of the video, he reaches under the podium and takes a small clear plastic cup that has some yellow liquid in it and takes a sip. He then seems to swish it around in his mouth a bit before he swallows it and returns to taking questions.

Nowhere in the video does he address what he drank, and no one asks if it’s an alcoholic beverage of some kind. However, that didn't stop Redditors and even people in the YouTube comments from speculating on what Hegseth drank at the podium at NATO.

"Fermented ‘apple’ juice, aged in an oak barrel for a minimum of 12 years," one user commented on the Reddit post.

Another added, "I assumed it was scotch."

But there is no proof either way about what Hegseth was (or wasn't) drinking during the press conference.

Because of Pete’s admitted past with alcohol, some of his more vocal critics have referred to him as a "DUI hire," a play on words in reference to "DEI hires" and Donald Trump’s executive order against DEI hires. Hegseth has spoken out against claims that he has a substance abuse problem; however, even after he admitted to previously using alcohol as a crutch when he returned home from combat years before, he was hired as the secretary of defense.

"First of all, I've never had a drinking problem," Hegseth shared on The Megyn Kelly Show in December 2024. "No one's ever approached me and said, 'You should really look at getting help for drinking.' Never, never sought counseling, never sought help, but I respect and appreciate people who do. But you know, what do guys do when they come back from war oftentimes? Have some beers. How do you deal with the demons you see on the battlefield? Sometimes it's with a bottle."