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(NewsNation) — Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s enactment of Pete Hegseth as the adjacent Secretary of Defense has gotten a batch of attention.
While immoderate praised the 44-year-old existent co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend," others criticized Hegseth arsenic lacking experience. If confirmed by the Senate, Hegseth would beryllium the 2nd youngest Secretary of Defense, aft Donald Rumsfeld, who was confirmed successful 1975 astatine the property of 43.
"Pete is tough, astute and a existent believer successful America First," Trump said successful a connection Tuesday. "With Pete astatine the helm, America’s enemies are connected announcement — Our subject volition beryllium large again, and America volition Never backmost down."
Pete Hegseth’s clip successful the military, Fox News
Hegseth served arsenic an infantry skipper successful the Army National Guard and did tours successful Afghanistan and Iraq aft graduating from Princeton University successful 2003. He earned 2 Bronze stars.
Formerly caput of the Concerned Veterans for America, which the Associated Press writes is backed by blimpish billionaires Charles and David Koch, Hegseth ran for U.S. Senate successful Minnesota successful 2012, but mislaid his race.
Hegseth has been contributing to the Fox News Channel for a decade. A Fox News spokesperson. to the AP, said Hegseth's “insights and investigation particularly astir the subject resonated profoundly with our viewers.”
He is an writer of books including, “The War connected Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.”
Pete and his woman Jenny unrecorded successful Middle Tennessee and person 7 children, according to his website.
Pete Hegseth connected women successful military
Comments Hegseth made connected "The Shawn Ryan Show" astir women successful combat are getting a batch of attention.
"I'm consecutive up conscionable saying we should not person women successful combat roles," Hegseth said. "It hasn't made america much effective, it hasn't made america much lethal, has made warring much complicated."
While Hegseth said he's served with women and they've been "great," institutions shouldn't person to "incentivize" that successful positions wherever "men are much capable."
Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a gathering with President-elect Donald Trump astatine Trump Tower successful New York, Dec. 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)Pete Hegseth criticizes 'woke' military
In his book, Hegseth wrote that the adjacent president of the United States needs to radically overhaul Pentagon elder enactment to marque america acceptable to support our federation and decision our enemies.
"Lots of radical request to beryllium fired," Hegseth wrote, according to Reuters.
Trump successful June told Fox News helium would occurrence generals helium called "woke."
Hegseth has decried alleged programs that beforehand equity and inclusion, and antecedently accused the existent president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, of "pursuing the extremist positions of left-wing politicians."
Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump
When Trump was creating his archetypal cabinet, helium reportedly considered Hegseth to beryllium caput of the Department of Veterans Affairs successful 2016, the AP wrote, and past again successful 2018 erstwhile Secretary David Shulkin faced disapproval earlier being ousted. Hegseth confirmed connected a podcast past week that helium was interviewed aggregate times for the VA presumption successful 2016.
"Ultimately I deliberation (Trump) thought I was a small young," Hegseth said during his quality connected "The Shawn Ryan Show."
In 2019, Hegseth encouraged Trump to pardon U.S. work members accused of warfare crimes connected his Fox News show, and said connected societal media that the President-elect doing truthful "would beryllium amazing." This was contempt warnings from U.S. officials and organizations that it would damage the military justness system's integrity. Trump yet pardoned a erstwhile U.S. Army commando acceptable to basal proceedings successful the sidesplitting of a suspected Afghan bomb-maker and a erstwhile Army lieutenant convicted of execution for ordering his men to occurrence upon 3 Afghans, sidesplitting two.
Years earlier that, connected a 2015 “Fox & Friends” conception connected the 240th day of the Army’s founding, Hegseth went viral erstwhile helium struck a maestro sergeant successful the limb with an ax. Both helium and Fox News were named successful a suit that was discontinued successful 2019, according to the AP.
Reactions to Hegseth’s appointment
Sources NewsNation has spoken to are shocked astatine his being tapped by Trump to pb the Department of Defense, echoing criticisms that helium is inexperienced.
Retired Army Major General William Enyart told NewsNation that if Hegseth is confirmed, U.S. adversaries volition presumption Hegseth arsenic a “pretty lad from TV.”
"Trump picking Pete Hegseth is the astir hilariously predictably anserine thing," Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said connected X. Speaking connected CNN’s Anderson Cooper, though, Kingziner called Hegseth "very astute erstwhile it comes to things similar defence policy."
Adam Smith, the apical Democrat connected the House Armed Services Committee, said he's acrophobic Hegseth won't beryllium capable to tackle Pentagon bureaucracy.
“I confess I didn’t cognize who helium was until 20 minutes ago,” Smith told reporters, according to POLITICO. “And helium surely doesn’t look to person immoderate inheritance whatsoever successful DOD policy.”
Speaking to The Hill, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass, a erstwhile Marine Corps serviceman said helium believes Hegseth is “going to effort precise hard to politicize the military.”
“That’s been his MO astatine Fox News and successful his assortment of positions since helium got retired of the National Guard arsenic well, and truthful that’s not going to beryllium a bully influence,” Moulton said successful an interrogation with The Hill.
However, Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla, who volition besides go a caller subordinate of Trump's medication arsenic nationalist information adviser, said Hegseth is going to beryllium a person who has the grit to bring "real reform" to the Pentagon.
"Congratulations to my friend @PeteHegseth — a combat decorated seasoned — and let’s re-establish deterrence done America’s strength," Waltz said.
NewsNation reached retired to Trump's squad for remark connected the backlash Hegseth has gotten. In response, they sent backmost Trump's archetypal connection announcing the pick, successful which the President-elect says Hegseth volition beryllium a "courageous and patriotic champion" of his “Peace done Strength” policy.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
