US President-elect Donald Trump has named Fox News host and former National Guardsman Pete Hegseth as his nominee for the next secretary of defense.
“I am honored to announce that I have nominated Pete Hegseth to serve in my Cabinet as the secretary of defense,” Trump said in a statement carried by Fox News on Tuesday.
“Pete has spent his entire life as a warrior for the troops, and for the country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” he said.
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Hegseth served as an infantry officer in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, according to his website. He studied politics at Princeton University and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
He co-hosts Fox & Friends Weekend and has appeared as a commentator on multiple Fox News broadcasts.
Hegseth authored several books, including ‘The War on Warriors’, in which he heavily criticized “the woke elites” and the Democrats for weakening the Armed Forces.
“On the front end, a social justice military fails to recruit the masculine men who make up our warrior class,” he wrote.
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Hegseth has advocated for a tougher stance against China and especially Iran, which he described as “an evil regime.” He highlighted the need to modernize the US military so its capabilities could match those of China’s.
During his re-election campaign, Trump accused the Democrats of damaging America’s standing on the world stage and vowed to restore the country’s prestige under a “peace through strength” banner. He has questioned the need to continue to send military aid to Ukraine and repeatedly claimed that he would quickly mediate a diplomatic resolution to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.