Pete Hegseth Mocked Over His 'Duck Lips' at Hearing as Social Media Users Accuse Him of Being 'Drunk' on the Job: Watch

Social media users poked fun at Pete Hegseth's appearance as he answered questions about the Pentagon's budget to fund the Iran war on Tuesday, May 12.

In a viral video, the secretary of war, 45, pursed his lips continuously while he sat in front of a name plate that read "The Honorable Pete Hegseth."

People were quick to make fun of his pout, with one person commenting, "Hegseth's duck lips are on fleek this morning."

"All of these 'old-fashioned alpha males' like Hegseth sure love to clock time in the makeup chair," joked someone else, accusing him of wearing cosmetics.

A few people thought the video could have passed for a Saturday Night Live sketch, as Colin Jost, 43, has been portraying the politician in recent skits.

Others thought his puckered mouth could be due to drinking.

"He brushed his teeth with Jack Daniels this morning," quipped one critic, while a second called him an "alcoholic dry mouth."

"The booze bloat isn’t doing him any favors," a third penned, with another individual alleging, "Dude is drunk and on drugs this morning."

Hegseth's drinking habits have been heavily scrutinized, as a 2024 report claimed his former colleagues at Fox News once voiced their concerns over him being inebriated.

Fears ramped up after Donald Trump appointed Hegseth for a job in his administration.

"For the sake of national security, I really hope he has stopped drinking," one former Fox staffer told NBC News, while another confessed, "He should not be secretary of defense. His drinking should be disqualifying."

In addition, a shocking report by The New Yorker claimed people he worked with at a nonprofit years ago also expressed worry.

"A previously undisclosed whistle-blower report on Hegseth’s tenure as the president of Concerned Veterans for America, from 2013 until 2016, describes him as being repeatedly intoxicated while acting in his official capacity — to the point of needing to be carried out of the organization’s events," the exposé spilled.

The politician's lawyer Tim Parlatore responded at the time, "We’re not going to comment on outlandish claims laundered through The New Yorker by a petty and jealous disgruntled former associate of Mr. Hegseth’s. Get back to us when you try your first attempt at actual journalism."