Donald Trump reveals his pick for defense secretary: Who is Pete Hegseth?

Following the presidential election on November 5, Donald Trump was the victor. Trump has a few months before he is officially the 47th president of the US. Nonetheless, he has slowly been picking the members of his government before he enters office.

According to reports, Trump has nominated Fox News host, Pete Hegseth as his defense secretary. Speaking about Hegseth, Trump said that he is a ‘true believer in America First’ and with him leading, ‘Our Military will be Great Again’.

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.

Who is Pete Hegseth?

Pete Hegseth has been a Fox News host for the last 10 years and he co-hosts Fox & Friends Weekend. It's thanks to to his TV career that Hegseth developed a friendship with Trump.

As reported by AP News, the TV host has served in the military. In 2003, after graduating from Princeton University, he was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard. He served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay.

Per Hegseth’s Fox News bio, he has a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Moreover, it has been said that Pete was considered for Trump’s Cabinet back in 2016 to run the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was also allegedly reconsidered in 2018 when Secretary David Shulkin faced criticism before his dismissal.

Pete Hegseth’s view on the military

Pete Hegseth has also been deemed a controversial pick because he has some outspoken views when it comes to the military. For example, in his book, Hegseth questioned the role of women in the military. He claimed that women ‘should not have’ combat roles.

Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, means casualties are worse.

I’m straight up just saying that we should not have women in combat roles — it hasn’t made us more effective.

He has also urged Donald Trump to pardon US service members accused of war crimes. As per AP News, when talking about those who dropped nuclear bombs on Japan during WWII he said ‘They won. Who cares’.

Pete Hegseth’s tattoos in the limelight

Pete Hegseth has a number of tattoos and following the announcement of his new position, people have also been talking about his ink, amongst all the other controversies that surround him.

According to New York Post, Hegseth’s most well-known tattoo is the large Jerusalem Cross on his chest. This tattoo has caused issues in the past—he claims he was deemed ‘an extremist’ because of it.

Pete also has several other religious tattoos. He has the words ‘Deus Vult’ tattooed on his bicep, which means ‘God Will It’. Pete’s other tattoos include a cross and sword with Hebrew, the Greek letters chi and rho, the first two letters of Christ.

Pete also has several military tattoos, including ‘We the people’, and a ‘join or die’ snake tattoo. He has an American flag on his arm with an AR-15 riffle as the last stripe. Finally, he has an infantry regiment patch, his former army regiment.

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Sources used:

AP News: ‘What to know about Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to serve as defense secretary’

New York Post: ‘The tattooed Secretary of Defense: Here is all of Pete Hegseth’s ink, and what it means’

New York Post: ‘Trump nominates Fox News host, veteran Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense’

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