Trump selects Fox host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary

President-elect Donald Trump said he will nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense.

“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,” Mr. Trump said in a statement Tuesday evening. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”

Mr. Hegseth is the “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host. He is an Army combat veteran who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our Peace through Strength’ policy,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Hegseth unsuccessfully ran for the Minnesota Senate seat in 2012. This may be the toughest Trump nomination pick to get confirmed.

According to a Fox News spokesperson, the network is “extremely proud of his work at Fox News Media and wish him the best of luck in Washington.” 

“Pete Hegseth has been an exceptional host on ’Fox & Friends’ and ’Fox Natio’n and a best-selling author for Fox News Books for nearly a decade. His insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today,” the spokesperson said.