Sources close to President-elect Donald Trump said that he is considering selecting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as his pick for defense secretary, to replace embattled former Fox News host Pete Hegseth. The Wall Street Journal, who first broke this story, reported that the news comes after Trump and DeSantis attended a memorial for fallen law enforcement officers Tuesday in Florida.
DeSantis was commissioned into the U.S. Navy as JAG officer while attending Harvard Law School, and later served in Iraq, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star. NBC News cited sources that that DeSantis is “very much in contention,” and that Trump and DeSantis directly spoke about the issue. Another source reiterated that “Trump talked to the governor and wants him to do it.”
Hegseth has faced allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement at veterans’ charities, repeated intoxication and infidelity. He has been meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill this week to try to build support ahead of his confirmation hearing. However, Hegseth told CBS News on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning, that he does not intend to withdraw his name from consideration, saying he spoke with Trump Wednesday morning, and Trump told him to keep going: “I spoke to the president-elect this morning. He said, ‘Keep going, keep fighting. I’m behind you all the way. Why would I back down? I’ve always been a fighter. I’m here for the fighters. This is personal and passionate for me.”
In a post to X on Wednesday morning, again Hegseth vowed not to withdraw as Trump’s pick, stating: “I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers. The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump —and me. So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth. Our warriors never back down, & neither will I.”
Other possible contenders for the Pentagon top job include Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn. Additionally, Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., whom Trump had chosen for White House national security adviser, is also a possible pick for leading the Pentagon.
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