Hegseth, who has spent the past eight years as a host on Fox News' "FOX & Friends Weekend," has been a major advocate for veterans and the military.
"I am honored to announce that I have nominated Pete Hegseth to serve in my Cabinet as The Secretary of Defense," President-Elect Trump wrote in a statement on X. (emphasis ours)
"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. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.
Pete is a graduate of Princeton University, and has a Graduate Degree from Harvard University.
He is an Army Combat Veteran who did tours in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
For his actions on the battlefield, he was decorated with two Bronze Stars, as well as a Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
Pete has been a host at FOX News for eight years, where he used that platform to fight for our Military and Veterans."
Trump also commented in his statement on Hegseth's best-selling book, which advocated for veterans:
Pete’s recent book, “The War on Warriors,” spent nine weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list, including two weeks at NUMBER ONE.
The book reveals the leftwing betrayal of our Warriors, and how we must return our Military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability, and excellence.
Pete has also led two Veterans Advocacy organizations, leading the fight for our Warriors, and our great Veterans.
Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our "Peace through Strength” policy."
The Hill reports that Fox News confirmed Hegseth’s deal with the network ended on Tuesday and he will not host its popular morning program “Fox and Friends Weekend,” a program he had presided over since 2017.
“Pete Hegseth has been an exceptional host on FOX & Friends and FOX Nation and a best-selling author for FOX News Books for nearly a decade,” a spokesperson for the cable channel said.
“His insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today. We are extremely proud of his work at FOX News and wish him the best of luck in Washington.”
Trump’s pick of Hegseth was somewhat unexpected, as his name had not been circulated among those likely to be considered for the job, but his resumé speaks for itself.
Of course, none other than Senator Liz Warren apparently decided not to actually look into Hegseth's background and dropped one of her most clueless tweets ever (and that is saying something)...