Fox News host recounts an awkward photo-op moment with the defense secretary during last week's high-profile White House gathering honoring China's president.
Fox News host Jesse Watters said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to hold his drink during a White House state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, September 24, 2026, because Hegseth did not want to be photographed holding alcohol. Watters recounted the exchange on his Fox News program after attending the dinner, and Mediaite published an account of the anecdote on Friday, September 25. The report is based solely on Watters' retelling; there is no independent confirmation from Hegseth, the Pentagon or the White House.
What Watters Said Happened at the Photo-Op
View this post on Instagram
According to Mediaite's account, guests at the dinner were asked to pose for photographs before or during the event. Watters said he turned to Hegseth and asked him to hold his beverage so it would not appear in the picture. Hegseth's alleged response, as quoted by Watters, was direct: "I can't be seen holding a drink!" Watters described the moment to his television audience as "kind of embarrassing."
The available reporting does not specify what the drink contained, whether it was alcoholic, or whether Hegseth was aware of its contents when he declined to hold it. No photograph capturing the interaction, no transcript from Hegseth, and no statement from the Pentagon accompanies the account. The story rests entirely on Watters' description of a private, informal exchange at a social event, making it an anecdote rather than a documented incident.
Tesla Crash Into Midtown Manhattan Scaffolding Kills Passenger, Driver Arrested
A Star-Studded Guest List at a Diplomatically Significant Dinner
The dinner was hosted by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, as part of Xi's visit to Washington. The White House released a guest list that included Vice President J.D. Vance and second lady Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Hegseth, according to the Associated Press and multiple outlets including CNBC and Reuters.
Also present were Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, alongside corporate leaders such as Paramount Skydance's David Ellison, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, Elon Musk and LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault. Fox News was well represented, with Watters attending alongside his wife, Emma Watters, as well as anchors Bret Baier and Laura Ingraham. The Associated Press reported that photographers captured Baier, Watters and their spouses walking up the White House driveway ahead of the dinner.
Alcohol Scrutiny Surrounding Hegseth Provides Context, Not Confirmation
Mediaite's report placed the anecdote within what it described as an "ongoing topic of scrutiny" regarding Hegseth's relationship with alcohol during the second Trump administration. That characterization reflects a broader media and political conversation rather than a verified finding tied to this specific dinner. Nothing in the reported exchange demonstrates that Hegseth had been drinking that night, that he was bound by any formal prohibition, or that his comment referenced a specific White House policy.
The distinction is significant for how the episode should be understood. Watters' quotation of Hegseth is the central claim in the story, and it should be treated as his account of a conversation rather than an independently established fact. No other guest, photographer or official has been cited corroborating the specific wording or the sequence of events Watters described.
Watters' Broader Commentary on the Evening
A separate Mediaite report captured Watters speaking enthusiastically about the dinner overall, describing what the outlet called a "fun time" meeting Xi and mingling with high-profile attendees. In that account, Watters discussed conversations with Zuckerberg, Huang and Hegseth and joked with fellow guests about the evening's atmosphere. That context helps explain why the drink anecdote became public: Watters raised it voluntarily during a television segment recapping his experience, not in response to a formal question about Hegseth's conduct or any official inquiry.
Coverage of the dinner from outlets including Yahoo News, the Indian Express and The Print focused primarily on the scale and composition of the guest list, noting the unusual mix of cabinet officials, Supreme Court justices, technology executives and media personalities gathered to mark a moment of high diplomatic visibility with Beijing. Some commentary, including from Daily Kos and The Express, criticized the presence of Fox News hosts at an event honoring Chinese leadership given the network's frequent anti-communist rhetoric, though that criticism is separate from the Watters-Hegseth anecdote itself.
What Remains Unverified and What Comes Next
No financial, regulatory or policy consequence has been reported in connection with the drink exchange. The episode concerns a personal, social interaction and the optics of a sitting cabinet secretary avoiding a photograph with a beverage in hand, not a documented breach of law or protocol. Any impact on Hegseth's public standing or on scrutiny of his personal habits remains speculative unless Hegseth, the Pentagon or the White House issues a response or additional witnesses come forward.
For now, the defensible account is that Watters alleged Hegseth declined to hold his drink for a photo at the state dinner and attributed the refusal to a stated fear of being photographed holding alcohol. The dinner's setting, date, honorees and extensive guest list are well documented across multiple outlets; the private exchange between the two men remains a single-source anecdote awaiting further corroboration.
