President-elect Donald Trump is considering Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as his pick for defense secretary to possibly replace embattled Fox News host Pete Hegseth, according to two sources close to the transition.
The news comes just hours after learning that Hegseth is facing a difficult road to confirmation in the Senate as several Republican senators are concerned over allegations of drinking and reports of mistreatment of women.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news of Trump considering DeSantis.
Trump’s allies have presented the president-elect with a list of possible replacements for Hegseth. Along with DeSantis, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa is also in consideration along with Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee.
DeSantis graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School. He joined the U.S. Navy in 2004 and eventually became a legal advisor to SEAL Team One.
Hegseth is facing allegations of sexual assault of a California woman in 2017, according to a police report that was made public after Trump announced he would nominate him for defense secretary.
As many as six Republican senators are against the nomination. With a slim majority in the Senate, Hegseth can afford to lose only three GOP votes.
“I think some of these articles are very disturbing,” Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) told CBS News. “He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is going to be difficult.”
The New Yorker published a story on Sunday about a 2015 whistleblower’s report from a veterans’ organization Hegseth ran, which claimed he was repeatedly intoxicated on the job.
DeSantis ran an unsuccessful bid for president in 2024, trading jabs with Trump before dropping out and endorsing him. If Trump does pick DeSantis, it would be seen as a truce or an easing of the strain between the two men, which Republicans believe could benefit them in future elections.
