President-elect Donald Trump is considering nominating Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida as secretary of defense to replace Pete Hegseth, Trump’s controversial current pick to run the Pentagon, multiple sources confirmed to Fox News.
DeSantis, a bitter rival to Trump last year and early this year in the battle for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, made peace with Trump after the primaries and helped raise money for Trump during the general election.
The popular conservative governora Navy veteran who served in the Iraq War, was re-elected in a landslide in 2022, but is term-limited and cannot run for re-election in 2026.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis waves from the stage on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 16, 2024. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
DeSantis is “very strong” in the race to replace Hegseth, multiple sources told Fox News, with one source adding that it was the president-elect himself who put the governor’s name forward.
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The reporting from Fox News and other organizations comes as Hegseth returns to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to continue meeting with Republican senators as he makes his case for confirmation as minister of defense.
Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s pick as Secretary of Defense, speaks to reporters after meeting with senators on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Hegseth, an Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and was previously a Fox News host, is facing a series of allegations of binge drinking and sexual misconduct.
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Hegseth has denied allegations that he assaulted women.
Hegseth’s mother, Penelope Hegseth, appeared on Fox and Friends on Wednesday to defend her son and “set the record straight.”
“I’m here to tell the truth. To tell the truth to the American people and the truth to the senators on the Hill, especially female senators. I really hope you don’t listen to the media and Pete.” she added.
Secret Service member President Donald J. Trump, his son Eric Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis attend a memorial service for three fallen Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies at the South Florida Fairgrounds, Tuesday December 3, 2024, in Palm Beach County. (Bill Ingram/Imagn)
If Trump goes ahead and nominates DeSantis and the governor is confirmed by the Republican Party-controlled Senate next year, it would lead to the ascension of Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez. She would make history as Florida’s first female governor – and the first of Cuban descent.
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The Wall Street Journal was first to report the news that Trump is considering DeSantis for defense secretary.
