Pentagon Chief’s Floor Bagel Habit Raises Hygiene Questions

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s unusual food hygiene practices have become the subject of public discussion after former Fox News colleagues shared anecdotes about his cavalier approach to the “five-second rule.” During Wednesday’s broadcast of “Outnumbered,” Fox host Ainsley Earhardt recounted witnessing Hegseth routinely eat bagels that had fallen cream-cheese-side down on the floor during their time working together.

“He would drop it, it would land upside down, the cream cheese on the floor, and he would pick it up,” Earhardt recalled during the segment. “And I’m like, ‘Wait, is there any hair on there?’ It was so gross, and he would just pop it in his mouth.” This revelation came during a discussion about a recent TikTok video testing the validity of the “five-second rule” for dropped food.

The Defense Department did not respond to requests for comment about the Secretary’s food handling preferences, according to The Daily Beast, which first reported on the televised discussion. The anecdotes have sparked renewed interest in Hegseth’s previous controversial statements about personal hygiene during his media career before joining the Biden administration.

Source: Gage Skidmore/Pete Hegseth/WikimediaCommons

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A History of Controversial Cleanliness Claims

This isn’t the first time Hegseth’s hygiene practices have made headlines. Fellow Fox host Joe Concha reminded viewers during the same segment about Hegseth’s infamous 2019 on-air claim that he hadn’t washed his hands in a decade. “I don’t think I’ve washed my hands for 10 years,” Hegseth said during that February 2019 broadcast, explaining his belief that germs aren’t real because he couldn’t see them.

After public backlash to these comments, Hegseth later claimed he was joking and merely poking fun at “germaphobes” who constantly use hand sanitizer. However, the combination of these past statements with the new revelations about his food handling practices has created fresh questions about the Defense Secretary’s approach to hygiene.

Rachel Campos-Duffy, another former colleague, noted during Wednesday’s broadcast that host Joe Concha was “auditioning for the Pete Hegseth seat” after Concha demonstrated his own adherence to the five-second rule by eating a banana he had just dropped on the studio floor.

The Science Behind the Five-Second Rule

While Hegseth’s floor food consumption might be dismissed as harmless personal preference, food safety experts consistently debunk the popular “five-second rule” that suggests food is safe to eat if picked up quickly after touching the floor. Irish Star reports that scientific studies show bacteria can contaminate food instantaneously upon contact with surfaces.

The risk varies significantly based on food type and floor surface. Moist foods—like Hegseth’s cream cheese-covered bagels—are particularly susceptible to rapid bacterial transfer. Surfaces like tile, steel, or wood, common in television studios and offices, transfer bacteria more efficiently than carpet, potentially exposing the Defense Secretary to various foodborne pathogens each time he retrieved fallen food.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that foodborne illnesses cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths annually in the United States. Common bacteria that could be transferred include norovirus, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus, making the practice significantly riskier than many people realize.

Military Toughness or Unnecessary Risk?

Earhardt attempted to contextualize Hegseth’s behavior by attributing it to his military background. “He’s like an Army guy,” she explained during the broadcast. “You know, he’s tough!” Hegseth served in the Army National Guard, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, before his television career and subsequent government appointment.

Some military veterans have questioned this characterization, noting that military service typically emphasizes strict hygiene protocols rather than dismissing them. Field sanitation and proper hygiene remain critical components of military training due to the historical impact of disease on combat effectiveness.

As Hegseth continues in his role overseeing the nation’s military forces, these revelations provide an unusual glimpse into the personal habits of one of the administration’s highest-ranking officials. While seemingly trivial compared to matters of national security, some public health advocates argue that leaders’ personal practices can influence public attitudes toward important health guidelines.

Whether the Defense Secretary continues his unconventional approach to the five-second rule remains unknown, but his former colleagues have ensured that this aspect of his personal habits has now become part of his public profile.

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