President-elect Donald Trump says he plans to nominate Pete Hegseth, a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard and weekend host of the Fox News morning show, as secretary of defense.
Trump also announced Wednesday afternoon that he would nominate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as secretary of state and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, complementing his national security team.
The Hegseth pick, announced late Tuesday, immediately received more attention than some of the more conventional picks Trump announced for other Cabinet-level positions.
Outside of his time in the military, Hegseth, 44, has no government experience. He was the CEO of the veterans advocacy group Concerned Veterans for America, according to a biography on his personal website. He served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. For his combat services he received two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge.
“Pete is tough, smart and truly believes in America First,” Trump said in a statement from his transition team. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – our military will be great again, and America will never back down.”
No women in battle
On Fox, Hegseth has spoken out about his socially conservative views in several books he has written and in other public forums.
He told a podcast host last week that “women should not serve in combat roles.”
“It hasn’t made us more effective, it hasn’t made us more lethal, it hasn’t made fighting more complicated,” he said on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast.
He has also criticized the DoD’s work under Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama to pursue diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
“Unfortunately, the incentives for generals under the Biden administration and the Obama administration were to conform to the ideologies of left-wing politicians who were pushing things into the Pentagon that have nothing to do with winning wars,” he said during a Fox News appearance to promote a book about the military. “What is your gender? What is your breed? DEI, (Critical Race Theory).”
Hegseth’s focus on culture war issues has drawn praise from some conservatives, including the influential think tank The Heritage Foundation.
“At a time when bloat and woke initiatives are detracting from the core mission of our armed forces, we need a Secretary like Pete who has both served in combat and advocated for veterans on Capitol Hill. Under President Biden and Secretary (Lloyd) Austin, our military has become weaker, while foreign conflicts have increased. President Trump and Secretary Hegseth will make our military great again while continuing to put America first,” the foundation said in a statement.
Inexperience a factor?
But Democratic members of Congress expressed their dissatisfaction with the nomination, and even Republicans withheld their full-throated expressions of support.
Adam Smith, a Washington Democrat and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a speech statement about X that the Senate must give the appointment “the greatest possible scrutiny.”
“The job of Secretary of Defense should not be an entry-level position, and I question President-elect Trump’s choice of a television news anchor to take on this hugely important role,” Smith said. “While I respect and admire Mr. Hegseth’s military service, I am concerned about his inexperience given the security challenges we face around the world.”
Even Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican and close Trump ally, expressed skepticism about the choice, says Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reported.
“Really? I’d have to think about it,” said Tuberville, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee that will manage the confirmation process.
The ambivalence toward Hegseth stands out from Trump’s other early picks.
Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana sent out a series of messages on X this week praising the selections of Representative Elise Stefanik as ambassador of the United Nations, fformer Rep. Lee Zeldin for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Representative Mike Waltz to become national security advisor, former director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to run the CIA and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel.
He did not communicate his support for Hegseth on X.
Similarly, the official X account of the House Armed Services Committee, which is chaired by Alabama’s Mike Rogers, posted praise for Stefanik and Waltz on X but made no comment on Hegseth.
Tattoos raised red flags
Hegseth grew up in Forest Lake, Minnesota. He attended Princeton University and received a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.
He sought the Republican nomination in Minnesota for U.S. Senate in 2012, but withdrew after the state convention endorsed the eventual nominee, Kurt Bills. Incumbent Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar easily defeated Bills in the general election.
Hegseth served in the Army National Guard until 2021, when he said he was pulled from a branch to work Biden’s inauguration over questions about a tattoo.
“Eventually, members of my unit in leadership thought I was an extremist or a white nationalist because of a tattoo I have, which is a religious tattoo, it’s a Jerusalem cross, anyone can look it up,” he said in the June appearance. on Fox. “It was used as a basis to revoke my order to monitor the inauguration.”
He speculated that there was another reason for his removal, possibly that he was a Trump supporter, Fox News host or a “patriot extremist.”
Hegseth has a tattoo on his chest with the Jerusalem cross, a symbol of the crusaders who fought against Muslims and Jews during the Middle Ages.
Broad support for Rubio
Trump’s selection of Rubio and Gabbard came Wednesday, although media reports had said for days that Rubio would be named.
“Marco is a highly respected leader and a very powerful voice for freedom,” Trump said in a statement. “He will be a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never back down from our adversaries.”
Senate Cabinet members often have an easier path to confirmation through that chamber because of the personal connections they have built.
That seems likely to be the case with Rubio, who quickly received votes of confidence from Democrats John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Mark Warner of Virginia.
Gabbard, a former Democratic congressman from Hawaii who sought the party’s presidential nomination in 2020, campaigned for Trump this year.
“I know Tulsi will bring to our intelligence community the fearless spirit that defined her illustrious career, standing up for our constitutional rights and securing peace through strength,” Trump wrote. “Tulsi will make us all proud!”
Last updated at 3:27 PM, November 13, 2024