Pete Hegseth took the stage at the 2023 FOX Nation Patriot Awards held at The Grand Ole Opry on November 16, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee. – AFP file
Pete Hegseth, a co-host on Fox News, author, and US military veteran, has been nominated to head the world's most powerful military as secretary of defense. At 44, he served as an infantry officer in the National Guard, with deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning two Bronze Star medals, according to his official website. He joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014 and currently co-hosts Fox and Friends Weekend, in addition to hosting for Fox Nation. Hegseth is also a published author with multiple books to his name.
Hegseth was reportedly considered for the role of secretary of veterans affairs during President Donald Trump's first administration but was not ultimately chosen for the position. Now, however, he is set to lead the Pentagon. Trump praised Hegseth as 'tough, smart, and a true believer in America First' in a social media post announcing the nomination. 'With Pete at the helm, America's enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down,' Trump stated.
The president-elect also noted Hegseth's success as an author, highlighting that his book 'The War on Warriors' was a best-seller and exposed 'the leftwing betrayal of our Warriors, and how we must return our Military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability, and excellence.' According to The Washington Post, Hegseth's lobbying efforts in 2019 led to the pardon of two service members accused of murder and the reinstatement of rank for a third found guilty of posing with a body in Iraq.
Hegseth is an Ivy League graduate, having attended both Princeton and Harvard. His website mentions that he returned his degree to the latter institution, criticizing it on-air for its purported leftist tendencies. He resides with his wife and seven children in the southern US state of Tennessee.
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