‘Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep,’ Trump said in a Friday statement.
President-elect Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his support for Pete Hegseth, whom he tapped to become secretary of defense, amid reports and allegations against the Fox News host.
This week, several Republican senators indicated that Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Pentagon could be in trouble, coming amid reports that cite anonymous sources about his time at Fox News and a 2017 police report that said a woman accused him of assault. No charges were brought, and Hegseth has denied those allegations.
“Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He was a great student – Princeton/Harvard educated – with a Military state of mind. He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”
There also have been anonymously sourced reports, which Trump has not confirmed in public, that the president-elect may look to name Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to lead the Department of Defense (DOD) if Hegseth falters in the Senate.
Earlier this week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), considered a foreign policy and defense hawk, said he was disturbed by some of the reports that surfaced recently about Hegseth. But later in the week, Graham told reporters that anonymously sourced reports “don’t count.”
“I’m not going to make any decision based on an anonymous source. If you’re not willing to raise your hand and make the accusation, it doesn’t count,” he said of anonymous allegations against Hegseth as well as other Trump choices. “I’ve heard everything about all these people. None of it counts, no rumors.”
Hegseth had met with multiple senators this week in a bid to shore up support for his nomination amid the recent allegations. Several Fox News personalities, including his “Fox and Friends” co-hosts, have mounted a defense of his character, while his mother spoke to multiple media outlets to defend him.
“As long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I’m going to be standing right here in this fight,” Hegseth told reporters on Thursday, adding that this won’t “be a process tried in the media.”
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who had previously expressed concerns about Hegseth, spoke positively about Hegseth’s prospects after the two met on Wednesday evening.
“I see no reason at this point not to be supportive,” Cramer said.
He said he told Hegseth, “It’s really important that we have a clear-eyed secretary of defense if the alarm goes off or the phone rings at three in the morning.”
Hegseth responded, according to Cramer, that he would be available “at three in the morning, three in the afternoon, or any hour in between.”
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who joined Hegseth in a congressional meeting with Republicans, also defended the Fox News host.
“All of us, at least all of us, have a time to grow up. We’re nominating Pete for who he is today, not for what he did seven years ago or five years ago or whatever it was,” he said.
Two of Trump’s other Cabinet choices have stepped down as they faced intense scrutiny: former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), his first choice for attorney general; and Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff who was Trump’s first choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Trump later said that he asked for Chronister to step down. The sheriff stepped down amid resurfaced reports and his social media messages about his activity during COVID-19.
“Today’s main headline is: ‘Trump’s DEA Pick Pulls Out In Latest Setback.’ With all that’s happening in the World, this is their Number One story of the day. Besides, he didn’t pull out, I pulled him out, because I did not like what he said to my pastors and other supporters,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.