On Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington, Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense nominee of President-elect Donald Trump, talks with media after meeting with senators on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Rod Lamkey, Jr., AP)AP
Washington As the president-elect’s team weighs options, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon candidate, was struggling to maintain his Cabinet candidacy on Wednesday due to mounting concerns about his personal behavior.
According to a person familiar with the situation, the Trump transition team was actively considering possible replacements as they grew more worried about Hegseth’s chances of receiving Senate confirmation. As senators consider a number of accusations that have been made against him, Hegseth is under pressure.
According to three additional people with knowledge of the situation, DeSantis, who faced Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, is being considered as a potential successor in the event that Hegseth’s nomination is not pursued. They talked on condition of anonymity and were not permitted to publicly discuss internal discussions.
According to Hegseth, he spoke with Trump early on Wednesday and got a new message of support. “Keep going, keep fighting,” he added. As he made his way through the Capitol, Hegseth informed a CBS News reporter, “I’m behind you all the way.”
The Trump transition team refrained from commenting right away. Trump’s consideration of DeSantis was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday evening.
On social media, Hegseth posted a number of encouraging messages from people as well as a statement declaring that he would not back down.
Not for the warmongers, but for the warfighters, I am doing this. He said that the Left fears change agents and disruptors.
“So they smear with fake, anonymous sources & BS stories,” he said, attributing the backlash to fear of him and Trump. Truth is not what they desire. Our fighters never give up, and I won’t either.
Hegseth’s mother previously made an appearance on Fox News to discuss a number of media-surfaced claims regarding Hegseth’s possible financial mismanagement, sexual misconduct, and alcohol intoxication at work functions.
On Fox & Friends, Penelope Hegseth talked about her son and an email she sent him in 2018 that The New York Times was able to obtain. In the email, she challenged him about mistreating women after he pregnant his current wife while he was still married to his second wife.
That letter came after several claims of dubious behavior involving female employees were made public by the New Yorker this week. In 2017, Hegseth was also charged with sexual assault; however, he denied any involvement and told California police that the interaction was consensual.
Although Hegseth has never held a leadership position at the Pentagon, either military or civilian, his mother claims that the pressures of his job as a Fox News host helped him prepare for his future leadership of the Defense Department.
She admitted that some GOP senators were concerned about the accusations made against her son, which have turned into a diversion.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told CBS News on Tuesday that he wants to ensure that every young lady who enlists in the military feels valued and accepted, calling some of the reports unsettling.
Penelope Hegseth pleaded with the MPs to give her son a chance and to listen to him.
According to Penelope Hegseth, it is possible to overcome it.
In addition to being a former Fox News personality, Hegseth is a combat veteran and former Army National Guard major who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He would command a military of two million members, more than 17% of whom are women, if the Senate confirmed him. Some members of Congress have expressed worry over the revelations.
In the TV interview, Penelope Hegseth stated, “I would do anything for my son.”
During the segment, she addressed Trump directly, stating that her son has changed since seven years ago. She claimed that the reason she sent the email was because Hegseth and his ex-wife were going through a very trying and emotional divorce.
About two hours after sending the email, she claimed to have taken it down and apologized to her son.
When the former Florida governor opposed Trump in the presidential primary, DeSantis—a former Trump buddy who is now his rival—became the target of harsh mockery and animosity from Trump and his campaign.
The two appeared to have reached a strategic ceasefire when DeSantis left and backed Trump, but there was still a great deal of mistrust among their closest advisers.
In the Senate, where Republicans are recovering the majority in January, DeSantis, a 46-year-old former congressman and Navy officer, is expected to have an easier job than Hegseth.
The governor traveled to Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention center while serving as a Navy judge advocate general officer. He advocated for purging the military of woke policies while running for president.
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