Military veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to run the Department of Defense, remains on shaky footing as he pushes back against several news stories detailing alleged sexual misconduct and excessive drinking over the course of his career.
For now, Trump remains firmly in Hegseth’s corner, posting a statement Friday morning defending his credentials and criticizing the “fake news” media.
“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. He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill,” Trump said on Truth Social.
At this point, it remains unclear whether he will have the Republican votes necessary to be confirmed if all Democrats oppose his nomination. With Hegseth’s confirmation mired in uncertainty, Trump is now reportedly considering replacing him with Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
One Republican Senator told National Review that he took Hegseth’s word for the lifestyle changes he’s made and dismissed the speculation that Trump is prepared to replace Hegseth with DeSantis. The Senator also pointed out the anonymous nature of the allegations against Hegseth and wondered if some of the accusers will come forward by the time confirmation hearings roll around.
Senator Joni Ernst (R., Iowa), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a military veteran who was the victim of sexual assault, remains uncommitted to supporting Hegseth’s nomination.
“I think you are right,” Ernst told Fox News’s Bill Hemmer after he pointed out she had not “gotten to a yes” on Hegseth.
Ernst took heat from the online MAGA wing of the GOP after posting on X Wednesday about a “frank and thorough” conversation she had with the embattled Defense Secretary nominee. Online conservative activists have dubbed Ernst a “RINO” and suggested she face a GOP primary challenge in 2026.
“I don’t have a campaign against Pete,” Ernst told RealClearPolitics, denying claims that she is working behind the scenes to sink Hegseth’s chances.
“We just need to make sure that he is thoroughly vetted and that he has his opportunity to go in front of the committee, recount his service, and rebut any allegations.”
In recent days, Hegseth waged a media offensive and continued meeting with Republicans on Capitol Hill following multiple reports alleging a pattern of inappropriate behavior towards women, binge drinking, and mismanagement at two veterans organizations he founded.
Hegseth has pushed back strongly against those reports and believes he is the victim of an orchestrated smear campaign from hostile mainstream outlets. The New York Times published a story last weekend featuring an email Hegseth’s mother sent him six years ago admonishing his treatment of women. his mother told the publication she immediately sent a follow up email apologizing to him for her comments, which came amid Hegseth’s divorce from his second wife.
Penelope Hegseth appeared on Fox News Wednesday morning to defend her son and encourage Republican senators to support his nomination.
“He’s a good dad, he’s an amazing son and father — and that’s the Pete I want people to know,” Penelope Hegseth said.
Hegseth is also being accused excessive drinking during his time at Fox News by ten current and former colleagues who spoke to NBC News. But, a number of prominent Fox News personalities have publicly rebuked those claims and criticized the media for running with them without reaching out first for comment.
The news stories emerged at the same time as a detailed police report of an alleged sexual assault incident involving Hegseth at a Republican conference in California seven years ago. Hegseth claims the encounter was consensual and said he paid off the accuser to make the allegations go away. No charges were filed for the alleged episode and some observers have argued the specifics of the police report give credence to Hegseth’s side of the story.
One such commentator, former Fox News host Megyn Kelly, interviewed Hegseth earlier this week and gave him the chance to clear the air. Hegseth strenuously denied the allegations of misconduct and said Trump hold him “I’ve got your back” in the drawn out confirmation fight.
In the interview with Kelly, Hegseth denied having a drinking problem and promised to stop consuming alcohol entirely if appointed to run the Pentagon. Hegseth also admitted to having been a serial cheater, but credited his third wife Jennifer and his relationship with Jesus Christ for helping him snap out of it.
“The press is peddling anonymous story after anonymous story, all meant to smear me and tear me down. It’s a textbook manufactured media takedown,” Hegseth wrote in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
“They provide no evidence, no names, and they ignore the legions of people who speak on my behalf. They need to create a bogeyman, because they believe I threaten their institutional insanity. That is the only thing they are right about.”