Keep in mind, this is someone who viewers there trust to deliver information about the world to them. Which explains a lot about "Fox News" in a nutshell.
Note to self: don't shake hands with Pete Hegseth.
It's also worth noting that Trump was recently quoted as saying "Nancy Pelosi will never see my tax returns." Apparently he believes in the Pete Hegseth Theory of Life, where if you don't see something it doesn't exist.
Anyway, I'm sure that at some point in the coming days Pete Hegseth will say he was "just joking," although at the same time he will continue to not wash his hands. In the meantime, here are some other things Hegseth apparently must believe aren't real --
Gravity
Oxygen
Sunlight
Temperature
Sound
Electrons
Intelligence
Reality
When a waiter spits in his soup