'Disgusting': Pete Hegseth Mocked After Fox News Host Reveals He Eats Food Off the Floor and Doesn't Wash His Hands

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's poor cleanliness was exposed by one of his former co-workers.

Fox News co-host Ainsley Earhardt exposed the Donald Trump Cabinet member's biggest gross habits live on-air on Wednesday, April 16.

Earhardt revealed that Hegseth would literally eat food off the floor and explained that Hegseth has "no fear" of germs.

"Pete Hegseth would have a bagel with cream cheese. He would drop it, it would land upside down, the cream cheese on the floor, and he would pick it up," she said. "I’m like, ‘Wait, is there any hair on there?' It is so gross, and he would just pop it in his mouth."

Several critics on social media called out Hegseth for his poor eating habits and pointed to it as a sign of his "immaturity" and "childish" personality.

One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, shared the clip of Earhardt's comments and pointed out: "Disgusting. Bacteria can transfer to food instantly upon contact with a contaminated surface. While the amount of bacteria transferred may increase with longer contact time, the initial contamination happens almost immediately."

Another X user commented: "Pete Hegseth eats bagels off the floor like it’s a political statement. Because nothing screams masculinity like cream cheese and carpet lint."

A third person joked: "How can you hate a man for wanting a lil seasoning on his bagel smh."

Hegseth said in 2019 that he hasn’t washed his hands in nearly a decade.

At the time, he claimed "germs are not a real thing," and said that if he "can’t see them; they’re not real."

He later clarified that he was joking, making fun of people who choose to carry around hand sanitizer everywhere they go. He also described the public's reaction as ridiculous.

According to the Fox News host, Hegseth appears to believe in the five-second rule. However, this "rule" has led to several bacterial infections in the past and could cause severe damage to the digestive system.

According to Healthline, the saying, which indicates you have five seconds before bacteria gets on dropped food, is a myth.

Bacteria can infect food as soon as it falls on the floor, but the type of food and type of floor matters. The more moist the food is, the more likely it could be contaminated quickly, meaning cream cheese on the ground would likely pick up a lot of bacteria.

The biggest threat is potentially catching a foodborne illness, including norovirus, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus (staph) and more. Foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.