NEWSPentagon Denies Pete Hegseth Was Chewing Gum After He's Seen Chomping Away at Somber Event
The Pentagon denied reports of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth chomping on gum at dignified transfer of fallen soldiers.
March 19 2026, Published 12:21 p.m. ET
The Pentagon has officially denied reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was chewing gum during a solemn, dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday, March 18.
The denial follows the circulation of footage showing Hegseth appearing to "munch" or chew as he arrived at the base alongside President Donald Trump, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and House Speaker Mike Johnson and other high-ranking officials to honor six fallen service members killed in a plane crash during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
In the military, chewing gum while in uniform is generally prohibited as a violation of professional appearance standards.
Pete Hegseth Was Allegedly Chewing Gum
Pete Hegseth was allegedly seen chewing something during the event.
Reports, notably from The Daily Beast, claimed Hegseth was chewing gum "nonstop" before the ceremony.
“After being greeted by local air base officers, the Pentagon chief continued chewing before heading into the private service,” noted the outlet’s chief national correspondent, David Gardner.
A spokesperson for the Defense Department told reporters the reporting was "inaccurate," but notably declined to specify what Hegseth was actually chewing if it was not gum.
Pete Hegseth is typically criticized for some of his actions.
“This reporting is inaccurate,” the Defense Department said in response to a reporter from The Daily Beast.
The incident occurred amid heightened scrutiny of the administration's military protocols. The president also faced criticism at a previous ceremony for wearing a "USA" baseball cap, which some viewed as disrespectful for such a solemn occasion.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, faces intense scrutiny over multiple controversies, including a Pentagon investigation into sharing classified strike details on the Signal app, allegations of sexual misconduct and heavy drinking before his appointment and questions over military strikes against drug traffickers.
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Gov. Josh Shapiro called Pete Hegseth 'wildly incompetent.'
Hegseth has faced intense criticism for the "gamification" of the U.S. military campaign in Iran, specifically regarding official White House and Pentagon social media videos that blended real combat footage with video game imagery.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro described Hegseth as "wildly incompetent" and likened his command to an "8-year-old playing with toy soldiers.”
Pete Hegseth claims he brushes off the backlash.
Defense Department officials have privately expressed concerns that Hegseth is "in over his head" and more preoccupied with appearing "lethal" for a television audience than with the substantive strategic demands of his office.
Hegseth has consistently dismissed these criticisms, framing them as "noise" from a "fake news" media that wants to make the administration look bad.
He maintains that his approach — which he describes as prioritizing "warrior ethos" over "woke" systems — is necessary to "crush the enemy" and finish the conflict decisively.
