NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 09: Fox anchor Pete Hegseth interviews entrepreneur and venture capitalist Peter Thiel during “FOX & Friends” at Fox News Channel Studios on August 09, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
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President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and military veteran, as his pick for defense secretary.
In a statement, Trump described Hegseth as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First.”
“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down,” Trump said.
During his first administration, Trump nominated James Mattis and later Mark Esper to lead the Pentagon.
Mattis resigned in December 2018, and suggested in a letter stepping down from the post that he and Trump differed in their views on “treating our allies with respect” and being “clear-eyed” on U.S. adversaries and competitors.
Trump fired Esper in 2020 after disagreements that included the use of active-duty troops to quell nationwide racial justice protests that year following the murder of George Floyd.
The Hegseth announcement comes amid a flurry of Trump picks for his second administration. Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said he would nominate former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to be CIA director.
On Monday, he tapped Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., as his pick for U.N. ambassador, and said he would nominate Lee Zeldin, a former House Republican from New York, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
A day earlier, he named immigration hard-liner Tom Homan as his “border czar.”
Trump’s first major administration announcement came last week when he said Susie Wiles, his campaign manager, would be White House chief of staff.
