President-elect Donald Trump voiced complete confidence Friday in his pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, as he’s faced some skepticism from Republican senators concerned with a myriad of allegations against him.
In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said that Hegseth is “doing very well” and his “support is strong and deep,” noting that he was educated at Princeton and Harvard University and has a “Military state of mind.”
“He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense,” Trump wrote, adding that Hegseth will be “one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”
Shortly after, the vice president-elect, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, echoed Trump’s support.
“Led by President Trump, we’re fighting for Pete Hegseth,” Vance posted to X. “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.”Earlier this week, Hegseth said Trump had encouraged him to “keep going, keep fighting.”
Trump’s full-throated endorsement of the former Fox News host to lead the Pentagon comes as at least a handful of GOP senators still haven’t committed to backing Hegseth, according to a Trump transition team official.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, for example, a sexual assault survivor and the first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate, has been noncommittal on Hegseth’s nomination, saying only their meeting was “frank and thorough.”
Hegseth has faced allegations involving a sexual assault in 2017, excessive alcohol use, infidelity, and financial mismanagement. On Wednesday, he sought to put many allegations to rest in an interview with conservative host Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM radio show.
Hegseth said he didn’t rape a woman who accused him of assaulting her in 2017, which was written up in a police report, although he was never charged with a crime. He has said the encounter was consensual. Hegseth reached an undisclosed settlement with the woman last year, which he said in the interview that he felt compelled to do because of his high profile.
Hegseth also told Kelly that he “never had a drinking problem” and said he is “not going to have a drink at all” if he’s confirmed as secretary of defense.
Trump had privately floated replacing Hegseth with others, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Ernst, who recently went to Mar-a-Lago. But Trump spoke with Hegseth Thursday morning by phone, according to Hegseth, who said the president-elect told him he’s “behind us all the way” and to keep going in the process.
Garrett Haake contributed.
