President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and Army veteran, to take over as defense secretary in his next administration. Sources said the selection came as a surprise as he was not among those considered.
Today, at age 44, Hegseth was an infantry officer in the Army National Guard, serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantánamo Bay. The future secretary also held the position of CEO of Concerned Veterans for America — an organization defending war veterans.
Trump’s chosen one said he left the Armed Forces in 2021 after being “marginalized for his political and religious views by an Army that no longer wanted him.”
The former military man holds a bachelor’s degree in Politics from Princeton University and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
After returning from Iraq in 2006, Hegseth wrote that more troops were urgently needed. “America is fighting with one hand tied behind its back,” he wrote.
In 2012, he briefly ran against Amy Klobuchar for Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seat. In early 2018, he was considered to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, but did not reach the position.
After that he had a brief stint as a presenter on TheBlaze, Glenn Beck’s streaming platform, and soon signed with Fox.
Pete Hegseth is currently co-host of FOX & Friends Weekend on FOX News Channel, where he also hosts FOX Nation. In addition to being a commentator on several programs on the grid.
Relationship with Trump
Hegseth served as an informal adviser to Donald Trump for several years while he was in and out of office, Trump advisers told CNN.
Although the host was considered for a number of roles in Trump’s first administration, he was ultimately passed over, they reported.
In a statement announcing the nominee, the president-elect praised his combat record, as well as his tenure as a Fox News host and his best-selling book.
“Pete spent his entire life as a Warrior for Troops and Country,” Trump said in a statement Tuesday.
“Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on alert – Our military will be great again, and America will never back down.”
On his official website, Trump’s future secretary defines himself as a “husband, father, patriot and Christian”.
This content was originally published in Who is the Fox presenter chosen to be Trump’s Secretary of Defense on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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