President-elect Donald Trump is considering naming Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as secretary of defense to replace Pete Hegseth, who is currently at the helm of the Pentagon, according to multiple sources. A source confirmed this to Fox News.
Mr. DeSantis fiercely opposed Mr. Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination last year and early this year, reconciled with Mr. Trump after the primaries, and helped Mr. Trump raise funds during the general election.
The popular conservative governor, a 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 podium during the second day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Reuters/Elizabeth Franz)
Multiple sources told Fox News that DeSantis is “very much” in contention to replace Hegseth.
A source said it was the president-elect himself who brought up the governor's name, and that Trump and DeSantis attended a memorial service for fallen law enforcement officers together in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Tuesday. He added that they had met on occasion to discuss the idea.
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The Fox News and other reports come as Hegseth returns to the Capitol on Wednesday and continues to meet with Republican senators who are making the case for confirmation as defense secretary.
President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, speaks to reporters after meeting with senators at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lambkey Jr.) (AP Photo/Rod Lambkey Jr.)
Hegseth, an Army National Guard soldier who served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and previously served as a Fox News host, faces a series of allegations of drinking and sexual misconduct.
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Hegseth denies allegations that he abused women.
“I spoke to the president-elect this morning, and he went on and told me to keep fighting,” Hegseth told reporters upon arriving at the Capitol.
“Why step back? I've always been a fighter,” he added.
Hegseth's mother, Penelope Hegseth, appeared on Fox & 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 to tell the truth to the senators on the Hill, especially the women senators. Don't listen to the media and tell Pete's I really hope you listen to me,” she added.
Secret Service President Donald J. Trump, his son Eric Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis attend a ceremony at the South Florida Fairgrounds on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. Attended a memorial service for three Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies killed in action. Palm Beach County. (Bill Ingram/Imagun)
If President Trump moves forward with DeSantis' nomination and the governor is confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate next year, it would lead to Lieutenant Governor Janet Nunez becoming sworn in. She will go down in history as the first female governor of Florida and the first governor of Cuban descent.
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The Wall Street Journal first reported the news that Trump was considering DeSantis for secretary of defense.
