Trump considering DeSantis to replace Hegseth for defense secretary post

WASHINGTON ? A leading 2024 GOP primary foe could become Donald Trump's military chief.

The president-elect has nominated former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary but is considering replacing him with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to a source close to the transition.

Hegseth's chances of making it through U.S. Senate confirmation have been bogged down by revelations he was accused of sexual assault, which he denies and for which he has never faced charges, and by a whistleblower report first detailed by The New Yorker alleging he had been forced out of leadership roles with two nonprofit veterans groups for personal misconduct, mismanagement of funds and intoxication on the job.

DeSantis would be a remarkable addition to Trump's Cabinet. The 46-year-old Florida governor's presidential primary campaign last year against Trump became highly contentious. Trump regularly mocked DeSantis as "Desanctimonious," and the Florida governor slammed the former and future president as insufficiently conservative.

DeSantis also had a falling out with Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who ran his first campaign for governor in the closing stretch of the 2018 election cycle but later was booted out of his orbit.

After dropping out of the presidential race, DeSantis endorsed Trump, met with him and was invited to the Republican National Convention to deliver a speech supporting him. The two seem to have repaired their riff, at least publicly, and DeSantis still has a strong following within the GOP after six years of aggressive conservative governing.

Before entering politics as a congressman and becoming governor in 2018, DeSantis served in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 2004 to 2010. He deployed to Iraq with a Navy SEAL team, earned a Bronze Star and later became a fierce advocate for Trump's first-term presidency while representing a northeastern Florida district in the House.

As governor, DeSantis often deployed the Florida National Guard to deal with natural disasters and other issues. He also revived the Florida State Guard. His management of both was criticized.

DeSantis sent both the National Guard and State Guard far from Florida to help secure the southern border. The State Guard experienced turmoil and was criticized for being too militarized.

DeSantis laid out a plan for the military while running for president. Like Hegseth, he focused heavily on ridding the military of "woke" policies he views as too liberal.

"People see the military losing its way, not focusing on the mission, and focusing on a lot of these other things,” DeSantis told CNN.

The military plan DeSantis rolled out last year included eliminating diversity programs, ending support for transgender people and cutting climate changes initiatives. He also called for reinstating military members who were removed from duty for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and conducting a review of all four-star officers within six months, removing anyone who "promoted policies to the detriment of readiness and warfighting."

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news that DeSantis could be nominated for the post, said Trump also could decide not to choose DeSantis and select another replacement if Hegseth’s nomination falls apart.

A combat veteran, Hegseth would need the support of Senate Republicans to win confirmation. On Wednesday morning, Hegseth told reporters while visiting the U.S. Capitol for meetings with senators that he had spoken to Trump and that the president-elect still backs him for the Pentagon job.

"I spoke to the president-elect this morning. He said: 'Keep going, keep fighting. I’m behind you all the way,'" Hegseth said. "Why would I back down? I’ve always been a fighter. I'm here for the war fighters."

On Capitol Hill, several GOP senators said they were reluctant to answer hypothetical questions about DeSantis being substituted for Hegseth.

“Right now, I’m working on Pete. And that’s the only thing I’m focused on," said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee that will be in charge of holding Hegseth's confirmation hearing.Mullin said he sees Hegseth as the “most challenging” of Trump's incoming nominations since Matt Gaetz’s decision to back out as the president-elect's pick to be attorney general. Still, Mullin said that he believes there is still a path forward for Hegseth.  “I’m all in for Pete. I think Pete will be great at this,” he said..

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said she plans to meet with Hegseth next week in her office.

“Whatever the Trump administration decides about its approach to the Department of Defense, you know, I'll be just prepared to deal with it when the time comes,” she said.

When asked whether she believes DeSantis is qualified to be defense secretary, Lummis said “definitely.”

“Ron has a military background, and he's certainly qualified. He's proven his administrative skills as governor,” said Lummis, a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus with DeSantis.

The Trump transition office and DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump and DeSantis were together Tuesday in Florida at a memorial for three Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies killed in a traffic crash.

After weeks of speculation about whether Trump would follow normal procedures for presidential transitions for digging into the backgrounds of those proposed for top federal jobs, the president-elect's transition team announced Tuesday that they entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice for background checks and security clearances.

So far, two Trump picks for senior positions have dropped out. Chad Chronister withdrew from consideration Tuesday to run the Drug Enforcement Administration, weeks after former Rep. Matt Gaetz dropped out of consideration for attorney general amid scrutiny about allegations of sex with an underage girl.

Contributing: Charles Ventura, Sudiksha Kochi and Savannah Kuchar

(This story has been updated with more information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pete Hegseth nomination: Trump weighs Ron DeSantis as replacement