President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is nominating Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary.
Hegseth deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Minnesota in 2012 before joining Fox News.
‘Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,’ Trump said in a statement, as he spent much of Tuesday adding to his cabinet.
The appointment comes after former Democrat Congresswoman and Trump ally Tulsi Gabbard said she’d wanted the job.
‘With Pete at the helm, America´s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down,’ Trump added.
President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is nominating Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary
‘Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,’ Trump said in a statement
‘Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our `Peace through Strength´ policy.’
‘Pete Hegseth has been an exceptional host on FOX & Friends and FOX Nation and a best-selling author for FOX News Books for nearly a decade,’ a spokesperson for Fox News Media told DailyMail.com in a statement.
‘His insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today. We are extremely proud of his work at FOX News Media and wish him the best of luck in Washington.’
Trump is rolling out a steady stream of appointees and nominees for his upcoming administration, working thus far at a faster pace and without as much drama as his first transition following his 2016 victory.
Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel´s ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show.
He is also the author of ‘The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.’
Hegseth was an infantry captain in the Army National Guard and served overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
He was formerly head of the Concerned Veterans for America, a group backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch, and he unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in Minnesota in 2012.
The appointment comes after former Democrat Congresswoman and Trump ally Tulsi Gabbard said she’d wanted the job
Hegseth has been one of the primary hosts of Fox & Friends Weekend
If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises – ranging from Russia´s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea.
Gabbard, a Democrat Congresswoman from Hawaii who became a Republican after endorsing Trump, had her eyes set on the gig, according the New York Post.
In a story published earlier today, it was believe Gabbard’s biggest opponent for the job was former Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie, suggesting Trump may have played a Wild Card.