Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's Pentagon pick, was fighting to hold on to his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions Wednesday about his personal conduct as the president-elect's team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Trump transition team was increasingly concerned about Hegseth’s path to Senate confirmation and was actively looking at potential replacements, a person familiar with the matter said. Hegseth is under pressure as senators weigh a series of allegations that have surfaced against him.
DeSantis, who competed against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, is being discussed as a possible replacement if Hegseth’s nomination does not move forward, according to three other people familiar with the matter. They were not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Hegseth is the latest nominee-designate to be imperiled by personal baggage after the recent withdrawal of Trump’s pick to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, whose vulnerabilities were well-documented. But Hegseth’s past, including the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of sexual assault, was not widely known.
Trump’s transition team did not do fulsome screening of potential picks before he announced them, and only on Tuesday was an agreement signed with the Department of Justice to allow for formal background checks of those under consideration.
Beyond DeSantis, there have been discussions about shifting Michael Waltz, who was named by Trump as his national security adviser, to the Defense Department, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity about private conversations. The Florida congressman is a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran.
Trump aides do not want to be caught flat-footed in case Trump's initial picks fall through. Trump, for now, was standing by Hegseth.
After meeting with Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the incoming majority leader, Hegseth told reporters that that he had received a fresh message of support from Trump.
“I spoke to the president this morning. He supports me fully. We’re not going anywhere,” Hegseth said. He ignored questions about the allegations he has faced.
Hegseth, accompanied by his wife, made the rounds for a third day on Capitol Hill, talking in private with GOP senators before heading to the House. While House members have no direct role in the confirmation process, conservatives can hold outsize influence on the debate.
The Trump transition team didn’t immediately comment. The Wall Street Journal, on Tuesday night, first reported that Trump was considering DeSantis.
Hegseth shared a series of messages of support from others on social media and a post of his own in which he said he would not “back down.”
“I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers. The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents,” he wrote.
He blamed the pushback on fear of him and Trump and said, “So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth. Our warriors never back down, & neither will I.”
Earlier, Hegseth's mother appeared on Fox News to address multiple allegations that have emerged in the media about Hegseth's alcohol intoxication at work events, sexual misconduct and potential financial mismanagement.
Penelope Hegseth, on “Fox & Friends,” discussed her son and a 2018 email she wrote him that was obtained by The New York Times, in which she confronted him about mistreating women after he impregnated his current wife while he was married to his second wife.
That letter followed multiple allegations, reported by the New Yorker this week, of questionable conduct around female staffers. Hegseth also was accused of sexual assault in 2017, which Hegseth told California police at the time was a consensual encounter and has denied any wrongdoing.
Hegseth has never held a military or civilian leadership role in the Pentagon, but his mother said his time as a Fox News host and the pressure of that role was a good preparation for leading the Defense Department.
She acknowledged that the allegations against her son have become a distraction and raised concern among some GOP senators.
On Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said some of the reports were “disturbing,” telling CBS News that he wants to “make sure that every young woman that joins the military feels respected and welcomed.”
Penelope Hegseth implored the lawmakers to listen to her son and give him a chance.
“I think it can be overcome,” Penelope Hegseth said.
Hegseth is a former Army National Guard major and combat veteran who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. If confirmed by the Senate, he would lead a 2 million member strong military — more than 17% of whom are female. The revelations have concerned some members of Congress.
DeSantis is a former Trump ally-turned-rival who became the subject of intense ridicule and hostility from Trump and his campaign when then Florida governor challenged him in the presidential primary.
When DeSantis dropped out and endorsed Trump, the two seemed to have struck a calculated truce, but deep distrust between their closest aides remained.
DeSantis, a 46-year-old former congressman and Navy officer, would likely face a smoother time than Hegseth in the Senate, where Republicans are regaining the majority in January.
The governor was a Navy judge advocate general officer, a position that took him to Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. As a presidential candidate, he called for ridding the military of “woke” policies.
