Does the Trump administration have a drinking problem?

April 22, 2026 — 11:52am

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Washington: Across the road from the Treasury building in Washington is Ned’s Club, a private members’ lounge that has become a place to see and be seen for Trump administration big wigs and a coterie of young movers and shakers in the US capital.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is a regular, while billionaire Mark Cuban and star CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins were reportedly among the early VIP members and guests when it opened – alongside the Trump administration – in early 2025.

It’s the kind of modern, flashy members’ club that tries to distance itself from the stuffier vibe of predecessors. Memberships start at $US5000 ($7000) a year.

It’s also where, according to a recent, explosive report in The Atlantic, FBI director Kash Patel likes to drink – sometimes to excess.

Patel’s alleged exploits – which he denies, and is suing the magazine over – raise fresh questions about the conduct of people Donald Trump has surrounded himself with at the very top of his administration.

Trump loses third cabinet member, FBI boss sues over ‘problem drinker’ story

The Atlantic’s Sarah Fitzpatrick reported that Patel’s colleagues had described his “bouts of excessive drinking”, and not just at Ned’s, where he “is known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication ... while in the presence of White House and other administration........

© The Age