Staff members working for Pete Hegseth dropped an Eisenhower globe while moving it, causing damage to the shell near Antarctica.
Posted by Deadline: White House, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Deadline: White HouseOct 22, 2026
Multiple independent reliable sources (The Hill, NBC News, NPR, Snopes, Reuters-syndicated AP-style coverage) confirm that staff working for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dropped a WWII-era Eisenhower globe while moving it, damaging its shell near Antarctica; the Pentagon acknowledged the accident.
What was said
… From that reporting: quote "Ordinarily, moving historical items within the building is a deliberate process overseen by trained curators. Instead, Pete Hegza's staff dispatched its own team to relocate an Eisenhower globe. They lost control of the artifact and dropped it, sending the globe crashing onto its base and impaling the fragile shell near Antarctica." We're showing you the pictures obtained by the Post of the damage. The resulting gash appears to be several inches wide. A Pentagon official tells the Washington Post, "Accidents happen. We're grateful no one was harmed, and the globe's getting repaired." …
Deadline: White House · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The Hill reports Hegseth's staff lost control of a 30-inch floor globe while moving it to the secretary's office, causing it to crash on its base and leave an inches-wide gash near Antarctica.[2]
Supports. NBC News, citing three U.S. officials, confirms Hegseth's staffers damaged the historic Eisenhower globe while trying to move it to his office.[3]
Supports. NPR confirms via an official that the globe was dropped during an attempted relocation to Hegseth's office, creating a hole in its shell near Antarctica.[4]
Supports. Snopes reports that Hegseth's team broke the globe while moving it, and quotes the Pentagon statement that accidents happen and the globe is being repaired.[1]
Supports. A Pentagon official acknowledged the accident occurred while staff were transporting the replica globe as part of its relocation.[2][5]
Context. The incident occurred in early February, and the globe was ultimately not relocated; the claim omits this timing, which is a peripheral detail no source contradicts.[2][6]
Sources
6 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 tier 1, 2 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1Did Hegseth's team break one of Eisenhower's historic globes?snopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Pete Hegseth's team damaged historic WWII globe linked to ...thehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports, context
- 3Hegseth staff damaged historic WWII-era Eisenhower globe trying to move it to his officenbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 4The historic significance of the WWII-era globe damaged by Pete Hegseth's staffnpr.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5'Accidents happen': Hegseth's staff damage historical Eisenhower globermb.reuters.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Hegseth wanted Eisenhower's globe for his office. His staff broke it.seattletimes.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
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