Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is rapidly discovering what his boss, President Donald Trump, has known for years—that steering the news agenda by chasing a single scandal at a time is challenging enough. But juggling two at once is proving even tougher.
This week, the former Fox News host found himself at the heart of a growing online firestorm after a watchdog report revealed eye-popping Pentagon spending on questionable purchases. Yet as the backlash began to spread across the internet, another controversy erupted—prompting critics to ask whether the defense secretary’s priorities are wildly out of step with the moment.
The spending controversy first erupted after a jaw-dropping report from the government watchdog group Open Books revealed Hegseth blew through $93 billion in a single month last September, with most of the money not tied to defense programs.
Among the flagged expenses were millions spent on luxury meals. According to the watchdog, the Pentagon spent roughly $2 million on Alaskan king crab, $6.9 million on lobster tails, and $15.1 million on ribeye steak. Between March and October of last year alone, more than $7 million was devoted to crab purchases.
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The spending spree extended far beyond seafood. Open Books also reported that Hegseth approved a Steinway & Sons grand piano for the home of the Air Force chief of staff at a cost exceeding $98,000, and on Apple products totaling more than $5 million.
The department’s splurges were the most in a single month since 2008, according to news reports, and the pattern did not end there. Open Books also documented $124,000 spent on ice cream machines, more than $139,000 on doughnut orders, and additional expenditures on fruit baskets and furniture.
The September spending occurred at the close of the department’s fiscal year, when the government adheres to a use-it-or-lose-it policy. Any portion of the budget not spent by the deadline would have to be returned.
Yet even as the criticism over the spending report spread, another controversy involving Hegseth began quietly gathering attention.
According to an exclusive report by The Washington Post, Pentagon officials moved to block press photographers from covering subsequent briefings after images circulated that aides believed portrayed the defense secretary in an unflattering light.
The decision came shortly after a Pentagon briefing on the escalating U.S.–Israeli military conflict with Iran, where photographers from major news agencies captured images of Hegseth at the podium.
After those photos appeared in global news coverage, staff members reportedly objected to how the defense secretary looked and later prevented photographers from attending subsequent briefings.
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