Donald Trump is going all in on his controversial pick for Secretary of Defense.
The president-elect strongly backed Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth at a news conference in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, saying it would be a “tragedy” if he were not included in his cabinet.
Trump appeared to acknowledge that Hegseth faced intense scrutiny, telling reporters that Hegseth was “making tremendous progress” toward Senate confirmation.
Earlier this month, NBC reported that Hegseth’s nomination was in jeopardy after several Senate Republicans expressed concerns about heavy drinking and sexual harassment allegations against him. Hegseth denied these claims.
Trump even considered appointing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to the top military post instead, due to the wariness of lawmakers, according to sources who spoke to The Associated Press.
But Republicans expressed full confidence in Hegseth during a news briefing. He said Hegseth was a “natural” to head the Pentagon.
Trump told reporters that the former “Fox & Friends” co-host, who left the network last month, was making a big sacrifice by leaving his TV career to seek confirmation for a Cabinet position.
“Pete Hegseth gave up a lot because he was so successful at Fox. Big, big place. “There’s a lot of money,” Trump claimed. “And when I said, ‘Do you want to do this?’ he didn’t even hesitate. He said, ‘Of course!’”
The president-elect said he warned Hegseth that he would give up his successful entertainment career to go into government, but the Army National Guard veteran reportedly told Trump he was honored to serve his country again.
“He said, ‘I don’t care. I have to do it for my country,” Trump said. “He gave up a huge amount of money. It would be a tragedy if this didn’t work. Because, but that’s what he loves. He loves the military.”
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Over the weekend, Trump appeared to show his support for Hegseth by inviting him to the annual Army-Navy football game. Also joining were Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and DeSantis.
