Trump taps veteran, Fox personality Hegseth for Defense secretary

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Pete Hegseth to be his Pentagon chief, a surprise move that would put the Fox News host and Army veteran in charge of the new administration’s effort to clear out diversity and inclusion policies at the Defense Department.

The selection of Hegseth, a television host and author, came amid speculation that Trump would choose a defense heavyweight such as House Armed Services Chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) or another defense-oriented lawmaker for the role.

“Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down,” Trump said in a statement announcing the pick Tuesday night.

The pick is a departure from other national security moves that Trump has made since he was elected president last week. So far he has chosen Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) to be his national security adviser and is expected to announce that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will be his secretary of State. Both hold traditional views of American military and diplomatic power and influence around the world.

Hegseth, on the other hand, is a relative outsider with no Pentagon or government experience outside of his military service.

Trump said that Hegseth’s recent book “The War on Our Warriors” played a role in his pick. “The book reveals the leftwing betrayal of our Warriors, and how we must return our Military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability, and excellence,” Trump added.

Hegseth, 44, was an early backer of Trump when he ran for president in 2016, at a time when many prominent GOP figures, including Sen. Marco Rubio — Trump’s expected pick to be secretary of State — were highly critical of the New York billionaire. Hegseth is a decorated Army combat veteran who has been a Fox News host for the past eight years and was a top contender to be Trump’s secretary of Veterans Affairs in his first administration before Trump tapped David Shulkin for the role in 2017.

If confirmed, Hegseth would helm a defense establishment overstretched by its response to wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. At the same time, many GOP lawmakers and former Trump officials are urging the United States to expand its military footprint in the Indo-Pacific to confront China — what will likely be a top priority for the second Trump administration.

A Princeton graduate, Hegseth is the former CEO of Concerned Veterans for America — a group advocating for outsourcing of health care for veterans that was funded by the Koch brothers. Hegseth’s affiliation with the group raised alarms among veterans groups when Trump, in his first term, was weighing whether to nominate Hegseth for Veterans Affairs secretary.

As a Minnesota National Guard major in 2021, Hegseth was in Washington to provide security for the Biden inauguration, but had his orders revoked due to a prominent Jerusalem Cross tattoo on his chest, which some identify with white nationalist groups. He has denied having any sympathies for white nationalist or Christian nationalist groups.

During the first Trump administration, Hegseth played a pivotal role in several episodes in which Trump inserted himself in the military justice system in order to grant clemency to troops convicted of war crimes.

Hegseth helped capture Trump’s attention on a military case that led, in 2019, to full pardons for former Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance and Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, both convicted of war crimes. Additionally, Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, who had been stripped of military honors during his prosecution for murder charges, had his promotion reinstated.

Tim Parlatore, Gallagher's attorney, told POLITICO that Fox News and Hegseth deserve credit for presenting the case on Trump’s favored network. “Whether or not people believe Fox News, the president took the time to listen to another perspective rather than solely relying on the Navy's view,” Parlatore said.

Hegseth’s views on the case are likely to face scrutiny from lawmakers. Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I.) at the time blasted the pardons as a "serious disservice" to military members.

"The president has the power to pardon, but he has the responsibility to use that power wisely, not recklessly," Reed said during a committee hearing.

"Some have claimed that these cases were a distraction and that the president’s intervention have somehow improved morale of the military," he added. "On the contrary, President Trump's disregard for our military justice system risked undermining the confidence of our service members and the rule of law and their chain of command, especially those who are courageous enough to bring allegations of war crimes to light, and testify against their teammates."

Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally, praised Hegseth’s selection on Tuesday as a “great choice.”

“The president [is putting] together a strong Cabinet. Pete brings a lot to the table,” Johnson told reporters. “He's got experience, and I think he'll be reform-minded in the areas that need reform. So, I'm excited about the pick.”

Paul McLeary, Robbie Gramer and Connor O’Brien contributed to this report.