President-elect Donald Trump has decided not to leave behind his Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth and reiterated his “strong and deep” support for the former Fox News presenter.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe. He was a great student – Princeton/Harvard educated – with a Military state of mind. He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”

In response, Hegseth wrote, “Thank you Mr. President. Like you, we will never back down.”

Hegeth had spent the week meeting senators and trying to gain some support amid the flurry of backlash he has been facing for the sexual assault, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement accusations.

Although Trump is backing Hegseth publicly, he has been looking for more options for the role of Defence secretary, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been on his radar. But Hegseth seems confident about Trump’s reliability on him and said, “As long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I’m going to be standing right here in this fight,” on Thursday.

Hegseth is one of the many controversial picks by Trump, including Matt Gaetz who recently withdrew his name from the post of attorney general after days of debate regarding whether the congressional report about his sexual misconduct should be released.

Apart from the President-elect, he also has the Vice-President-elect backing him. He wrote on X, “Led by President Trump, we’re fighting for Pete Hegseth. And we’re doing so because Pete Hegseth will fight for our troops. For too long, the Pentagon has been led by people who lose wars. Pete Hegseth is a man who fought in those wars. We’ve got his back.”
 

Washington:

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering replacing Pete Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the Pentagon’s head, reports the Wall Street Journal, amid reports and doubts about his current nominee’s personal life.

His views on certain issues may raise concerns. For instance, Hegseth opposes women serving in combat roles, arguing it lowers military standards and effectiveness. “Women shouldn’t be in combat at all. They’re life-givers, not life-takers. I know a lot of wonderful soldiers, female soldiers, who have served, who are great. But they shouldn’t be in my infantry battalion,” he told Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator in an interview.

He supports troops accused or convicted of war crimes and has advocated for their pardon. He also wants to fire senior officers who support “woke policies”.

There has been increasing disquiet and scrutiny surrounding Hegseth’s sexual assault allegations and drunken public behavior among senators.

Regardless, Hegseth posted this on X.

I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers.

The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump—and me. So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth.

Our warriors never back down, & neither will I. pic.twitter.com/nDQ5aUlv7i

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 4, 2024

Not only this but a general sense of misconduct allegations have also been floating for the former Fox News anchor.

According to The New Yorker, Hegseth in an inebriated condition, chanted “Kill All Muslims! Kill All Muslims!” at a Veterans group event in 2015.

However, his attorney Tim Parlatore said, “We’re not going to comment on outlandish claims laundered through The New Yorker by a petty and jealous disgruntled former associate of Mr. Hegseth’s. Get back to us when you try your first attempt at actual journalism”, in response to the allegations by The New Yorker.

In addition to his alleged Islamophobic comments, he has also been shadowed by a secret financial settlement to a woman who accused him of rape in 2017, although he dismissed the claims citing the incident as consensual.

Two veteran non-profit groups – Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America have further accused him of multiple allegations including financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety and personal misconduct. He was forced to step down from the organisation because of these concerns.

Hegseth’s former colleague at Fox News said, “He had a kind of what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas kind of attitude, while his wife and kids were in Minnesota. He was a huge drinker. I can’t say if he had a problem, but he was very handsy with women, too. I’ve certainly seen him drunk.”

With the allegations surfacing with the whistleblower report, Senate Republicans are not comfortable supporting his bid as the leader of the Pentagon.