Pete Hegseth is getting a brief respite from Signalgate with a much more frivolous development that's making headlines. Sources tell CBS News that the defense secretary recently threw down an order to modify a room adjoining the Pentagon's press briefing area, and that those plans included a request for a makeup studio for pre-presser prepping. The estimated tab for the original renovation was said to be more than $40,000, though it was reportedly scaled back to "several thousand dollars," per CBS' sources.
Those insiders noted that this greenroom of sorts initially featured a sparse setup, including a television, a table and chairs, one mirror hanging on the door, and pictures of former defense chiefs. A table was reportedly pulled out, a countertop was installed, and a new chair was brought in, as was a giant mirror with makeup lights. The Military Times notes that some finishing touches on the space are still ongoing, with new mirrors set to arrive in the near future. A Pentagon rep says all the materials used in the renovation came from storage or were put together by agency workers to help cut costs.
"For this upgrade we were deliberately conservative and opted for several less expensive, on-hand materiel solutions," the spokesperson said in a statement. DOD officials say the greenroom will be accessible to VIPs and senior officials before news conferences. Hegseth, meanwhile, is now pushing back after the news broke about the alleged upgrades. "Totally fake story. No 'orders' and no 'makeup'—but whatever," he wrote on X on Wednesday before veering off into a jab about installing tampon machines in men's bathrooms at the Pentagon.
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The Defense Department similarly refuted the story's details. The internet, naturally, had some thoughts on the matter, per HuffPost. "Pete Hegseth: We can't have trans people who've served honorably for decades at DOD bc they're dishonest and lack humility. Also Pete Hegseth: BUILD ME A PERSONAL MAKEUP STUDIO!!!" snarked one observer. A DOD official, meanwhile, tells CBS that Hegseth, a former Fox News host, does his own makeup. (More Pete Hegseth stories.)
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