Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he wanted to install Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice: Our armed forces will rise to greatness again, and America will never back down,” the president-elect said in a statement. If his appointment is confirmed by the Senate, Pete Hegseth, at the age of 44, will take charge of the most powerful armed forces on the planet.
As a member of the United States National Guard, this infantry officer was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan where he earned two prestigious Bronze star medals, according to his official website. He joined Fox News as a consultant in 2014 and today co-hosts the popular weekend show “Fox and Friends.” He is also a presenter on the channel’s streaming service, Fox Nation.
According to the American press, Hegseth was approached during Donald Trump’s first term to obtain the Veterans Affairs portfolio, but was ultimately not selected. This time around, he is set to take over a ministry with more than 3.4 million troops and civilian employees. Pete Hegseth is “tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” the president-elect said on social media.
According to the “Washington Post”, Pete Hegseth succeeded in 2019 in convincing Donald Trump to pardon two soldiers accused of war crimes in Afghanistan. A graduate of the prestigious Universities of Princeton and Harvard, Pete Hegseth, however, claims on his site that he returned his diploma to the latter: in his show, he criticized the university for its supposed left-wing leanings. He lives with his wife and seven children in Tennessee, a conservative southern state.
The announcement stunned Washington, which expected Trump to appoint a seasoned lawmaker or someone with experience in politics, writes Politico. “Who the f*** is this guy?” reacted a defense industry lobbyist on condition of anonymity. “Hegseth is without question the least qualified candidate for Secretary of Defense in American history. And the most overtly political. Get ready, America,” Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Independent Veterans of America, wrote on X.
Former colleague of Pete Hegseth on Fox News, Gretchen Carlson also expressed her disbelief, according to the Daily Beast. “From stupid weekend dinner interviews on ‘Fox and Friends’ to Secretary of Defense? I never thought I’d say I was surprised by a nomination after the election, but nominating Pete Hegseth for this incredibly important role? Yes, he’s a veteran…and?”, wrote the ex-Fox News journalist on X.
