The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, continues to announce the names of those who will be part of his cabinet, so on Tuesday he surprised by announcing Fox News host, Pete Hegseth, as his Secretary of Defense.
“Pete has spent his entire life as a warrior for the troops and the country. Pete is tough, smart, and a true believer in the principle of America first. With Pete in charge, the enemies of the United States are warned: our armed forces will be great again and America will never surrender,” Trump said in a statement. Now, only the Senate's approval is needed to confirm the nominee in the position, which is not unlikely, as Republicans hold the majority in Congress with 52 out of the 100 seats.
Hegseth's selection surprised everyone, as Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who has a good reputation among the military for working closely with the Pentagon; Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; and former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii, a member of the Army National Guard like Hegseth, were also being considered for the position.
Fox News host, Pete Hegseth, and his career
Fox News presenter Pete Hegseth is 44 years old. He was born in Minnesota. In 2003, he joined the military, but before that, he graduated from Princeton University. He has a master's degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
In his career, he has two Bronze Stars for his service overseas, as well as two Army Commendation Medals, as reported by the New York Post, which states that he served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been with Fox News since 2014, most recently serving as co-host of 'Fox & Friends Weekend'.
Fox News said in a statement that he has been a host on FOX Nation and is the best-selling author for FOX News Books for the past decade.
"Your ideas and analysis, especially regarding the military, resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the success it is today. We are very proud of your work at FOX News and wish you the best of luck in Washington," says the statement from Fox News about Hegseth.
The Post recalled that Trump considered Pete for Secretary of Veterans Affairs after being elected in 2016, but ultimately, the position was filled by David Shulkin.