Friday, February 27, 2026

Trump’s Pick to Lead Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, Shocks Mainstream Media

'His insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today...'

Posted by Julianna Frieman
Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth / IMAGE: Ben Sellers, Headline USA

(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Republican President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday evening nominated former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as secretary of Defense.

“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,” Trump said in a statement. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”

Hegseth is an Army combat veteran whose tours of duty included combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the terrorist detention center at GuantĂĄnamo Bay, Cuba.

He earned two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

The former Fox News host, who was at the network for eight years, received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his graduate degree from Harvard University, according to Trump’s statement.

The president-elect praised Hegseth’s recent book, The War on Warriors. He acknowledged Hegseth’s leadership at two veterans advocacy organizations.

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

Fox News released a statement wishing Hegseth well, according to Mediaite.

“Pete Hegseth has been an exceptional host on FOX & Friends and FOX Nation and a best-selling author for FOX News Books for nearly a decade,” said the statement.

“His insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today,” the network added. “We are extremely proud of his work at FOX News and wish him the best of luck in Washington.”

Hegseth’s former Fox News colleagues celebrated the announcement soon after it was made.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham was on air when news broke of Hegseth’s appointment. She took to social media later, calling Hegseth a “patriot and fighter” who will help bring “real change” to Washington, D.C.

On his primetime show, host Jesse Watters called Hegseth a “fierce advocate for veterans on and off the air.”

Harris Faulkner said “we win” with Hegseth at the helm. And late-night Saturday host Jimmy Failla joked that “all the drag queens at the Pentagon” will be out of a job.

Leftist talking heads and politicians had total meltdowns over Trump’s unconventional pick.

MSNBC’s Joy Reid said Trump was filling his “clown car” quickly and suggested he would quickly fire everyone appointed.

“You can’t make this up,” she said when she reported Hegseth was chosen.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Trump’s choice of Cabinet officials like Hegseth will make “us less safe and must be rejected.”

CNN’s Scott Jennings defended Hegseth as secretary of Defense, telling fellow panelists to give him a chance.

He reminded CNN panelists that Americans voted in Trump as a rejection of insider government officials.

“Pete Hegseth — he’s an American hero!” Jennings told CNN host Abby Phillip.

“He’s gonna have to go up there just like everybody else and prove his knowledge of how to do this job. He’s not immune from that, but we ought to give this man a chance, in my opinion.”

Some, such as well known comedian and Trump impersonator Shawn Farash, pointed out that the outside-the-box appointment underscored the deep need to reform the military, which was criticized during the Biden administration for prioritizing political agendas over military readiness.

Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and The American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.

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