President-elect Donald Trump expressed total faith in his choice for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, on Friday, despite some Republican senators’ doubts due to several accusations against him.
Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account that Hegseth is “doing very well” and that his “support is strong and deep,” adding that he studied at Harvard and Princeton and has a “Military state of mind.”
In his post, Trump predicted that Hegseth would be “a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense,” who “leads with charisma and skill.” There is nothing that can change the fact that Pete is a winner!
Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the vice president-elect, quickly echoed Trump’s endorsement.
We’re fighting for Pete Hegseth under President Trump’s leadership,” Vance posted to X.Pete Hegseth will defend our troops, which is why we are doing this. The Pentagon has been run by war-losing individuals for far too long. One guy who served in those conflicts is Pete Hegseth. Hegseth stated earlier this week that Trumpha urged him to persevere and fight on.
According to a Trump transition team member, Trump’s enthusiastic support for the former Fox News personality to head the Pentagon comes as at least a few Republican senators have yet to pledge their support for Hegseth.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is the first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate and a survivor of sexual assault, has expressed hesitancy over Hegseth’s candidacy, stating that their discussion was comprehensive and candid.
Hegseth has been accused of infidelity, heavy drinking, financial mismanagement, and sexual assault in 2017. In an interview with conservative journalist Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM radio show on Wednesday, he attempted to dispel a number of accusations.
Despite never being charged with a crime, Hegseth denied raping a woman who accused him of abusing her in 2017, which was documented in a police report. According to him, the interaction was voluntary. Hegseth and the woman came to an undisclosed settlement last year, which he claimed in the interview that he felt obliged to do due to his prominence.
Additionally, Hegseth informed Kelly that he “never had a drinking problem” and that if he is confirmed as secretary of defense, he “never going to have a drink at all.”
Ernst, who just visited Mar-a-Lago, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis were among the names Trump privately suggested replacing Hegseth. However, Hegseth claimed that Trump called him Thursday morning and instructed him to keep going with the process, saying, “I’m behind you all the way.”
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