President-elect Trump nominated Pete Hegseth to serve as Secretary of Defense on Tuesday.
Why it matters: A surprise choice, the TV personality and military vet is a proponent of a non-interventionist “America First” foreign policy, in contrast with Trump’s picks for other top national security roles.
Driving the news: Trump in an emailed statement called the Fox News host “a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country.”
- The president-elect added, “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”
Zoom in: Hegseth, a decorated combat vet, is an Army veteran of Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, per his website, and has received two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
- He’s been an advocate for American vets accused of war crimes and privately encouraged then-President Trump to pardon some service members. A notable one is retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was acquitted of war crimes and had a minor charge cleared by Trump.
- He’s a co-host on FOX & Friends Weekend and multiple series on FOX Nation.
State of play: Trump’s picks for secretary of state (Sen. Marco Rubio) and national security adviser (Rep. Mike Waltz) were more hawkish, and more conventional.
- In Hegseth, he’s gone for a figure who is well known to Fox News watchers but less so to some of the senators who will weigh in on his nomination.
What they’re saying: A Fox News spokesperson said in an emailed statement Tuesday evening that Hegseth has been “an exceptional host” and “his insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today.“
@Axios, https://www.axios.com/2024/11/13/trump-pete-hegseth-secretary-of-defense?stream=top&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alerts_all