Fox News made a major gaffe while introducing Pete Hegseth on Fox & Friends Tuesday morning.
Host Brian Kilmeade made an awkward slip-up, calling Hegseth the “former secretary” of defense before quickly correcting himself to say he was the “current secretary of state.” The only problem? Hegseth has never held that position—and hasn’t been fired. Marco Rubio is the current secretary of state, not Hegseth.
Kilmeade later explained that his mix-up happened because Hegseth used to be a co-host on Fox & Friends Weekend.
During the interview, Kilmeade asked Hegseth about accusations from former Pentagon staffers claiming the department is falling apart under his leadership. Hegseth fired back, promising to track down and possibly prosecute leakers. He claimed that reports about his use of the Signal app to send attack plans came from fired staffers who had leaked to the press.
Watch the clip below:
Fox: Here to set the record straight himself, the former— uh… the current Secretary of State, Pete Hegseth pic.twitter.com/Jdi8G8npCD
— FactPost (@factpostnews) April 22, 2025
