Meet Pete Hegseth, Trump’s shock Fox News pick for Defense Secretary who would get the ‘woke’ out U.S. military and fire ‘DEI generals’

Donald Trump stunned political observers Tuesday with his surprise choice of Fox News host and U.S. Army veteran Pete Hegseth to be his new Secretary of Defense. 

The out-of-left-field selection was part of a wider move by Trump to bolster his national security team ahead of his impending second term as president. 

Trump’s decision to nominate Hegseth, 44, to the top cabinet post came as a shock to many as the military man has no previous national security experience and, if confirmed by the Senate, would inherit the one of the world’s most powerful post’s amid a series of global crises.

Those include Russia and Ukraine’s ongoing war, the Iran-fueled conflict between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea.

So, just who is Pete Hegseth, and why would Trump trust the relative unknown to lead oversight of the combined U.S. Armed Forces?

Read on below for everything you need to know about the man Trump has tapped to lead the world’s largest military and manage its $800 billion budget.  

What is Pete Hegseth’s current job?

Currently, Hegseth is the co-host of Fox News Channel’s ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ show, having worked as a contributor to the network for a decade. 

In a statement, a Fox News spokesperson complimented Hegseth’s military knowledge, saying that his ‘insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers.’

Hegseth joined the conservative-leaning news network as a contributor in 2014 following an unsuccessful Senate run in Minnesota. He reportedly became friends with Trump during the president-elect’s regular appearances on the show. 

On a recent appearance on Fox News, he made it clear that he felt Joe Biden’s White House – run by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin – was run by ‘pro-Palestinian millennials.’

‘What Israel is about to do is bring Hell down on Hamas. Israel is about to do real war. Israel will be stacking bodies because Netanyahu isn’t messing around,’ he said.

What are Pete Hegseth’s military credentials?

A photo from his social media platforms shows seen in military gear. Hegseth served overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay

Hegseth was formerly head of the Concerned Veterans for America, a group backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch

He is seen engaging in shooting practise on a hillside, looking towards the camera while holding a rifle by his feet 

After graduating from Princeton University in 2003, Hegseth signed up and was commissioned as an infantry captain in the Army National Guard, serving overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay.

He was formerly head of the Concerned Veterans for America, a group backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch, and also unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in Minnesota in 2012.

His combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he served as a captain in the Army National Guard, earned Hegseth two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge.

‘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,” Trump said in a statement.

‘Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our “Peace through Strength” policy,’ Trump added.

What does Pete Hegseth think about women in combat?

This image from Hegseth’s Instagram account shows him posing in a t-shirt adorned with the American flag. Hegseth has previously been critical of the notion that women should be allowed in combat

Hegseth has been critical of the notion that women should be allowed in combat, saying that, in his opinion, the military has lowered standards to allow women to serve in such roles.

Speaking about his book The War on Warriors, which was published in June, Hegseth expressed his surprise that ‘there hasn’t been more blowback’ from it, ‘because I’m straight up just saying, we should not have women in combat roles.’

Appearing on The Shawn Ryan Show last week, he said: ‘It hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated. We’ve all served with women, and they’re great.’ 

‘But our institutions don’t have to incentivize that in places where, traditionally — not traditionally, over human history — men in those positions are more capable.’

He also said that he does not see why, in his view, women should not be permitted to work in ‘physical, labor-intensive type jobs,’ such as those with the Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, Army Special Forces or Marine Special Operations. 

‘I’m talking about something where strength is the differentiator,’ he continued.

What are Pete Hegseth’s views on ‘woke’ military?

Hegseth has also criticized the military’s diversity programs, saying on the same podcast: ‘Woke s*** has got to go.’

‘Either you’re in for warfighting and that’s it, that’s the only litmus test we care about,’ he said. 

‘You’ve got to get DEI and CRT out of military academies so you’re not training young officers to be baptized in this type of thinking.’

Hegseth has demanded the ouster of top military leaders – including Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, left, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attend wreath laying  at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024.

‘First of all, you’ve got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs,’ Hegseth said on the podcast. 

‘Any general that was involved, any general, admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI/woke s**t has got to go.’

On a recent appearance on Fox News, Hegseth also made it clear that he felt Joe Biden’s White House – run by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin – was run by ‘pro-Palestinian millennials.’

‘What Israel is about to do is bring Hell down on Hamas. Israel is about to do real war. Israel will be stacking bodies because Netanyahu isn’t messing around,’ he said.

How do Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth know each other?

President Donald Trump is interviewed by Fox & Friends co-host Pete Hegseth at the White House in Washington on April 6, 2017 

Hegseth and Rauchet are seen promoting his book alongside Trump at the president-elect’s Bedminster, N.J., golf course 

Hegseth sporting a tuxedo lined with an American flag and with a muted flag belt buckle 

Prior to being appointed as defense secretary, Hegseth developed a friendship with Trump through the president-elect’s regular appearances on his Fox show.

As Trump formulated his first Cabinet following his 2016 win, Hegseth was among those he considered to run the Department of Veterans Affairs. He again considered Hegseth for the post when Secretary David Shulkin faced criticism before his ouster in 2018.

In 2019, Hegseth urged Trump to pardon U.S. service members who had been accused of war crimes by interviewing their relatives on Fox News. 

He also posted on social media that pardons from Trump ‘would be amazing’ and subsequently added hashtags to various posts online.

The effort was successful, with Trump that year pardoning a former U.S. Army commando set to stand trial in the killing of a suspected Afghan bomb-maker. 

It also saw a former Army lieutenant previously convicted of murder for ordering his men to fire upon three Afghans, killing two, pardoned for his crimes. 

What books has Pete Hegseth written?

Aside from The War on Warriors, Hegseth has written five other books, which centre on the U.S. Armed Forces and his thoughts on American politics

His further works include American Crusade: Our Fight To Stay Free, The Case Against The Establishment and, lastly, In The Arena: Good Citizens, A Great Republic, and How One Speech Can Reinvigorate America

Pete Hegseth’s book ‘The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men who Keep us Free’ sold 60,000 copies in the week-plus after its June 4 release.

Aside from The War on Warriors, Hegseth has written five other books, which center on the U.S. Armed Forces and his thoughts on American politics.

Published at various points between 2016 and 2022, these include: Battle For The American Mind: Uprooting A Century Of Miseducation, Modern Warriors: Real Stories from Real Heroes, which sees Hegseth speak to U.S. veterans. 

His further works include American Crusade: Our Fight To Stay Free, The Case Against The Establishment and, lastly, In The Arena: Good Citizens, A Great Republic, and How One Speech Can Reinvigorate America. 

Is Pete Hegseth married?

Hegseth is married to television producer Jennifer Cunningham Rauchet, with the pair tying the knot back in 2019

The couple are seen attending the annual Patriot Awards. which ‘celebrates American patriotism by honoring everyday heroes across the country who have shown dedication to [the] nation’

Along with having a child of their own together, Hegseth is a father to Rauchet’s three children from her first marriage

Following an extramarital relationship with Rauchet while he was married to Samantha Deering, Hegseth welcomed a daughter with the former, who was born in August 2017

Hegseth is pictured with his four children, which came across two different marriages, as well as Rauchet’s three children from her first marriage

Hegseth is married to television producer Jennifer Cunningham Rauchet, with the pair tying the knot back in 2019. 

Hegseth has two previous marriages, having been married to Meredith Schwarz between 2004 and 2009 before going on to marry Samantha Deering from 2010 to 2017. 

However, after seven years of marriage, he and Deering divorced one another in 2017, but do have three children from their time together, named Gunner, Bonne, and Rex. 

Following an extramarital relationship with Rauchet while he was married to Deering, Hegseth welcomed a daughter with the former, who was born in August 2017. 

Along with having a child of their own together, Hegseth is a father to Rauchet’s three children from her first marriage: Kenzie, Jackson and Luke.