President-elect Donald Trump says he’s all in behind his nominee to run the Pentagon, who has dealt with questions in the press about personal and professional comportment.
“Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe. He was a great student — Princeton/Harvard educated — with a Military state of mind,” Trump posted Friday morning to Truth Social.
Trump added that Hegseth “will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill.”
“Pete is a WINNER,” Trump concluded, “and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”
In the wake of allegations described by The Associated Press of “multiple incidents of alcohol intoxication at work events, inappropriate behavior around female staffers and financial mismanagement,” Hegseth has made the rounds on Capitol Hill. He has promised not to drink if confirmed as Defense Secretary.
The President-elect’s stated commitment to Hegseth comes as Florida’s Governor is seen as a better bet on a prediction market.
Ron DeSantis led the field Friday morning on Polymarket, with a “Yes” share valued at 40 cents. Hegseth is priced at 29 cents at this writing. No other name is over 7 cents.
Marc Caputo reported in The Bulwark that DeSantis and Trump have discussed the possibility of the Governor going to the Defense Department. Per four sources from Trump and DeSantis’ respective orbits, talks are in “advanced stages.”
DeSantis is attending next Saturday’s Army-Navy football game with Trump, deepening the intrigue.
Hegseth has fought hard to save his nomination. “The press is peddling anonymous story after anonymous story, all meant to smear me and tear me down,” he wrote Wednesday in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that was shared in full by the Trump transition team.
The President-elect’s statement and the transition team’s promotion of the nominee suggests they are committed to the former Fox News host’s success.
But did Florida’s Governor fumble his shot to run the Pentagon? That’s what investors in a prominent prediction market seemed to believe by Saturday morning. Per Polymarket, DeSantis has fallen back behind Pete Hegseth, who is the current Donald Trump nominee to be Defense Secretary.
A DeSantis ‘Yes’ share is priced at 23 cents, with a Hegseth Yes at 43 cents. But Trump and others close to the President-elect have worked to make it clear that Hegseth is being given the ball to run with.
“It looks like Pete is doing well now,” Trump said during an interview with “Meet the Press.” “We’ll be working on his nomination along with all the others,” Trump added.
Trump comms director Steven Cheung, who once called DeSantis a “desperate eunuch,” called Hegseth “the ONLY option” for the job.
Trump senior advisor Brian Hughes, who has a long history with DeSantis in his own right, volunteered that Hegseth is a “winner.”
DeSantis led in the betting market until Friday evening, with speculation swirling that he might replace the embattled former Fox News host as Trump’s pick for the job.
–A.G. Gancarski, Florida Politics
