Here’s Who Could Replace Pete Hegseth As Defense Secretary Pick—As Trump Reportedly Weighs Alternatives

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly mulling replacing Pete Hegseth as his Defense secretary nominee amid a steady flow of misconduct allegations that could thwart his confirmation by the Senate—with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and several others emerging as potential alternatives.

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters … [+] after a meeting with Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) at the U.S. Capitol on December 4, 2024 in Washington, DC. Hegseth continues to meet with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill as new allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct have emerged. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Gov. Ron DeSantis: The Florida governor—and Trump’s bitter rival in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries—was on a list of potential candidates drafted by Trump’s transition team, according to the Wall Street Journal, and DeSantis, a former Navy lawyer, has expressed interest in the role, ABC News reported.

Sen. Joni Ernst: A combat veteran who has fought to address sexual misconduct allegations in the military, the Iowa Republican senator was also on an earlier list of candidates, and her name has been raised again by Trump’s inner circle amid doubts about Hegseth, according to Politico and CNN.

Elbridge Colby: A former Defense official during Trump’s first term, Colby is an ally of Vice President-elect JD Vance who was floated as a potential pick for national security adviser and is under consideration to replace Hegseth, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Sen. Bill Hagerty: Former ambassador to Japan under Trump, the Republican senator from Tennessee was on the short list for secretary of state and treasury secretary before Trump selected his nominees, and is on the list of potential new Defense secretary picks, according to ABC.

Rep. Mike Waltz: Trump nominated the Florida GOP congressman and Green Beret as national security adviser and his name is now being floated for the top Pentagon post, ABC reported.

Rep. Wesley Hunt: The Republican Texas congressman was vetted for the defense secretary role and is being reconsidered for the job, CNN reported, though there are concerns that removing him from the House could cripple the GOP’s slim 220-215 majority as Waltz and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., have been tapped for cabinet roles and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., resigned.

Crucial Quote

Hegseth told Megyn Kelly on Wednesday there were “tiny kernels of truth” to the allegations against him, but they have been “blown up into a masquerade of a narrative.”

Big Number

3. That’s how many Republican votes Hegseth or any of Trump’s nominees can afford to lose to be confirmed by the Senate, assuming all Democrats vote against them.

Contra

Trump still publicly backs Hegseth, and no GOP senators have openly said they would oppose him, though some have expressed concerns about the allegations against him or doubts he will pass Senate muster.

Key Background

Allegations against Hegseth, a former Fox News host, emerged days after Trump nominated him on Nov. 12 in a surprise decision as Hegseth was not among the names being floated publicly as potential picks for the role. Accusations that he sexually assaulted a woman in a California hotel in 2017 were made public when a woman who said she is friends with the accuser sent a memo to Trump’s transition team. The alleged victim reported the incident to police in Monterey, Calif., but Hegseth was never charged. Hegseth, who told police the two had consensual sex and has publicly denied the sexual assault claim, paid the woman a settlement in 2020 as part of a nondisclosure agreement to prevent the woman from filing a lawsuit, according to his lawyer, Timothy Parlatore. Earlier this week, a New Yorker report alleged Hegseth was ousted as the head of two veterans’ organizations about a decade ago amid concerns over his repeated drunken behavior at official work events. NBC News also reported this week Hegseth’s drinking habits were a concern on more than a dozen occasions while he was working at Fox News, between 2017 and last month, according to three current and seven former unnamed employees cited by the network. Hegseth has denied the drinking allegations through Parlatore.

Tangent

In 2018, Hegseth’s mother, Penelope Hegseth, asked her son to “get some help and take an honest look at yourself” after “all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way” by being a man that “belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego,” according to an email obtained by The New York Times. Penelope Hegseth told The Times she retracted the email and immediately apologized, and reiterated her regret to Fox News on Wednesday, insisting her son has changed in the past seven years and that she doesn’t believe the allegations against him.

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