President-elect Donald Trump announces he plans to nominate Pete Hegseth, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran and weekend Fox News morning host, as defense secretary.
On Wednesday afternoon, Trump also announced that he would nominate Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state and former Republican Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence, after adding to his national security team.
Hegseth’s pick, announced tardy Tuesday, immediately drew more attention than some of the more conventional picks Trump has announced for other Cabinet-level positions.
Apart from serving in the military, Hegseth, 44, has no experience in government. He was 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 achievements, he was awarded two Bronze Stars and the Combat Infantry Badge.
“Pete is tough, intelligent and a true believer in America First,” Trump said in a statement from his transition team. “With Pete at our helm, America’s enemies will be vigilant – our military will be great again and America will never retreat.”
No women in combat
On Fox, in several books he has written, and in other public forums, Hegseth has been vocal about his socially conservative views.
Last week, he told a podcast host that “women should not serve in combat roles.”
“It didn’t make us more effective, it didn’t make us more lethal, it didn’t make the fight more complicated,” he said on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast.
He also criticized the Department of Defense’s work under Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama to advance diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
“Unfortunately, the incentives for the generals under the Biden administration and the Obama administration were to conform to the ideology of leftist politicians who were pushing things into the Pentagon that have nothing to do with winning wars,” he said during appearance on Fox News promote a book about the army. “What is your gender? What is your race? DEI (Critical Race Theory).”
Hegseth’s focus on culture war issues has won praise from some conservatives, including The Heritage Foundation’s influential think tank.
“At a time when bloated and woke initiatives detract from the core combat 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 weakened while foreign conflicts have intensified. “President Trump and Secretary Hegseth will make our military great again while continuing to put America first,” the foundation said in a statement.
Is lack of experience a factor?
However, Democratic members of Congress expressed concern about the nomination, and even Republicans held off on full support.
Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington and member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in: statement regarding X that the Senate should subject the nomination to “supreme scrutiny.”
“The position of Secretary of Defense should not be an entry-level position, and I question President-elect Trump’s selection of a television news host for this extremely important role,” Smith said. “While I respect and admire Mr. Hegseth’s military service, I am concerned about his lack of experience given the security challenges we face around the world.”
Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram Even Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican and close Trump ally, expressed skepticism about the pick reported.
“Really? I’d have to think about it,” Tuberville, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which will manage the confirmation process, reportedly said.
The ambivalence toward Hegseth stands out among Trump’s other early choices.
Indiana GOP Sen. Todd Young sent a series of posts to X this week praising the picks Representative Elise Stefanik as ambassador of the United Nations, fworms Rep. Lee Zeldin for the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Representative Mike Waltz be national security advisor, former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe run the CIA and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee become an ambassador to Israel.
He did not transfer his support for Hegseth to X.
Similarly, the official X account of the House Armed Services Committee, chaired by Mike Rogers of Alabama, posted praise for Stefanik and Waltz on X but did not comment on Hegseth.
The tattoos raised red flags
Hegseth grew up in Forest Lake, Minnesota. He attended Princeton University as an undergraduate and earned a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.
He sought the Minnesota Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2012, but withdrew when 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 National Guard until 2021, when he claims his detail was removed for Biden’s inauguration because of questions about the tattoo.
“Ultimately, members of my leadership unit labeled me an extremist or a white nationalist because of the tattoo I have, which is a religious tattoo, it’s a Jerusalem cross, anyone can check that,” he said in a June appearance on Fox. “This was used as a reason to revoke my order to guard the inauguration.”
He speculated that there was another reason for his removal – perhaps he was a Trump supporter, a Fox News host or a “patriot extremist.”
Hegseth has a tattoo on his chest of the Jerusalem Cross, the symbol of the Crusaders who fought against Muslims and Jews in the Middle Ages.
Widespread support for Rubio
On Wednesday, Trump selected Rubio and Gabbard, even though the media had reported for days that Rubio would be replaced.
“Marco is a highly respected leader and a very powerful voice for freedom,” Trump’s statement read. “He will be a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never back down before our adversaries.”
Cabinet appointees from the Senate often have an easier path to confirmation through that chamber because of the personal connections they have established.
That appears to be the case with Rubio, who quickly won votes of confidence from Democrats John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Mark Warner of Virginia.
Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress from Hawaii who ran for the party’s 2020 presidential nomination, campaigned for Trump this year.
“I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her distinguished career to our Intelligence Community, defending our constitutional rights and securing peace through strength,” Trump wrote. “Tulsi will make us all proud!”
Last updated at 16:27, November 13, 2024
