Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense once denied the existence of germs, claiming that because he can’t see them, they can’t be real.
Pete Hegseth, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, will be responsible for the world’s most powerful military in his first political role.
Announcing his choice on Tuesday, Trump described him as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First”.
But a resurfaced clip of the Fox News host claiming he had not washed his hands in a decade has gone viral since the announcement.
A clip from 2019 has been reshared on X, formerly Twitter, with one post reaching over 1.2 million people.
“I don’t really wash my hands ever,” Hegseth said. “I inoculate myself. Germs are not a real thing. I can’t see them; therefore, they are not real.”
His Fox and Friends co-host Jedediah Bila appeared shocked, saying: “Someone, help me!”
Hegseth later posted on Twitter that the comment was a joke.