Does Donald Trump have a backup plan?
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, President-elect Donald Trump is considering replacing Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth after the Fox News anchor and military vet has faced scrutiny over allegations about his personal life.
Hegseth’s rumored replacement? Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
From The Wall Street Journal:
Trump allies increasingly think Hegseth might not survive further scrutiny, according to people close to the president-elect’s team, which considers the next 48 hours to be crucial to his fate.
DeSantis, who served as a Navy lawyer in Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, was on an earlier list of potential defense-secretary candidates that transition officials presented to the president. Trump ultimately went with Hegseth. But as Hegseth’s nomination has faltered, that list has been revived and DeSantis is again among the choices Trump is considering, the people said.
The discussions are in their early stages, one of the people said, adding that Trump has floated DeSantis’s name in casual conversations with guests at Mar-a-Lago, his private Florida club.
Trump could decide not to choose DeSantis and select another replacement, if Hegseth’s nomination falls apart, the people said. Another potential defense-secretary candidate who has been discussed by Trump allies, according to people familiar with the matter, is Elbridge Colby, a former Pentagon official and ally of Vice President-elect JD Vance. Trump is also considering Sen. Joni Ernst(R., Iowa) for the job, some of the people said.
As many as six Senate Republicans have expressed reservations about confirming Hegseth for the top Pentagon role, according to NBC News.
A spokesman for DeSantis didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, Hegseth says he spoke with President-elect Trump Wednesday morning and Trump told him to “keep going, keep fighting.”
Watch the clip below:
PETE HEGSETH: “I spoke to the President-Elect this morning, he said keep going, keep fighting”
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) December 4, 2024
More over at The New York Post:
Trump considers replacing Pete Hegseth with Ron DeSantis as Defense secretary pick: report https://t.co/tIGepRuqe3 pic.twitter.com/7PEA2fa3zU
— New York Post (@nypost) December 4, 2024
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