OAN Staff James Meyers
10:14 AM – Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Fox News personality Pete Hegseth was selected for the secretary of defense position on Tuesday night by Donald Trump, the incoming 47th president, prompting some to raise their eyebrows at the nomination decision.
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“Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country,” Trump said in a statement. “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.”
Additionally, a CNN panelist member, Scott Jennings, defended Trump’s decision.
“Does anyone have confidence in the current leadership of the Pentagon, and the way the defense situation has been operating for the last several years?” Jennings asked on the network. “I mean, from the Afghanistan pullout — which was an extreme debacle for which no one was held accountable. We’ve had spy balloons flying over the United States. We built a $300 million pier [for aid in Gaza] as a public relations stunt, which wound up killing an American service member… I’d say I’ve had just about enough of the so-called insiders running the Defense Department,” he continued.
“I hear all the criticism of him is that he’s not the expected Washington pick. And I’m just saying to you that the American people just voted against the expected Washington pick,” Jennings concluded, referencing how Trump won the popular vote and swing states despite Washington’s wishes.
The selection comes from a field of other options that included Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who earned favor in military ties for working closely with the Pentagon on defense legislation. Other choices included House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), and former Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a Democrat-turned-Republican and an Army National Guard member like Hegseth.
Hegseth, 44, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been with Fox News since 2014. He has most recently appeared as a co-host on the program “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
“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 Fox News spokesperson said 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 and wish him the best of luck in Washington.”
In 2016, Hegseth was initially considered for the position of Veterans Affairs secretary following Trump’s election win, but the position ended up going to David Shulkin instead.
The 44-year-old graduated from Princeton University in 2003. 10 years later, he received a master of public policy degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
The Minnesota native received two Bronze Stars and two Army Commendation Medals for his service.
Hegseth still serves in the Minnesota Army National Guard’s Individual Ready Reserve, according to multiple sources.
Additionally, congressional rules state that nominees have to be out of service for at least seven years to serve as the secretary of defense, which means Hegseth will have to get a congressional waiver before being confirmed.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Trump’s former Pentagon chief, James Mattis, were both less than seven years removed from active-duty service when they were nominated. Both received congressional waivers.
Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors,” a best-selling book where he calls out the “woke military” and DEI efforts implemented in service recruiting, which he maintains is negatively affecting America’s armed services.
“For the past three years — after President Barack Obama poured the social justice foundation — the Pentagon, across all branches, has embraced the social justice messages of gender equity, racial diversity, climate stupidity, and the LGBTQA+ alphabet soup in their recruiting pushes,” Hegseth writes in “The War on Warriors,” released in June.
“Only one problem: There just aren’t enough lesbians from San Francisco who want to join the 82nd Airborne,” he adds. “Not only do the lesbians not join, but those very same ads turn off the young, patriotic, Christian men who have traditionally filled our ranks.”
Trump highlighted Hegseth’s book in his announcement.
“The book reveals the leftwing betrayal of our warriors, and how we must return our Military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability, and excellence,” the 47th president wrote.
“On Day One, I will get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of our U.S. armed forces,” Trump vowed at an August campaign rally. “We’re taking it out.”
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