Clear as Day: The Truth Behind a Viral Rumor

In February 2025, a wild rumor spread online claiming that Pete Hegseth, the U. S. President Donald Trump's defense secretary, was sipping alcohol from a clear cup during a NATO news conference. The event took place in Brussels, Belgium, on Feb 13, 2025. The rumor gained traction quickly, with videos and images circulating on various social media platforms. The most popular video showed Hegseth reaching for a cup while listening to a question from a journalist. The video was viewed over 15 million times across different platforms. People also shared other videos and still images, claiming the liquid in the cup looked brown and dark, suggesting it was alcohol. However, a closer look at the available videos revealed that the liquid in the cup was clear. The dark appearance was just an illusion caused by Hegseth's fingers behind the glass. Some users even suggested it could be vodka or another clear alcohol, but they didn't provide any evidence to back up their claims. The Defense Press Operations office at the Pentagon and the NATO Press Office did not respond to requests for comment. The context behind the rumor was a Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 14, 2025. During the hearing, Hegseth faced tough questions about past allegations of excessive drinking, including drinking on the job, as well as marital infidelity and sexual assault. He dismissed some of the allegations as a "smear campaign" and promised not to drink alcohol if confirmed to lead the Pentagon.

One piece of media that fueled the rumor was a still image from the Fox News TV show "America's Newsroom. " The image showed Hegseth with a clear cup, and users claimed the liquid looked brown, similar to bourbon, Scotch, or whiskey. This image was misleading because it was a still frame and did not show the liquid's true color. The Internet Archive's TV News Archive website hosted the same clip from when Fox News aired part of Hegseth's news conference live. The Associated Press published a YouTube video of the entire news conference shot from a different camera angle. The clip shows Hegseth taking six separate sips from the cup at various times. Other users made light of the fact that Hegseth mispronounced and then corrected his pronunciation of the word "guaranteed" during an answer to a question, as if the moment stood as enough evidence to confirm the rumor of him drinking alcohol out of the cup. The Department of Defense published a transcript of Hegseth's remarks, as well as questions from journalists in the room and his answers. The rumor about Hegseth drinking alcohol during the NATO news conference was just that—a rumor. There was no credible evidence to support the claim. The liquid in the cup was clear, and the dark appearance was an illusion. The rumor gained traction due to the context of the Senate confirmation hearing and the misinterpretation of a still image. It's important to remember that not everything you see online is true. Always question the source and look for credible evidence before believing a rumor.

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