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Pete Hegseth

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Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is an American television presenter, author, and Army National Guard officer who is the nominee for United States Secretary of Defense in Donald Trump's second cabinet.[1][2] A political commentator for Fox News since 2014 and co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend from 2017 to 2024,[3][4] he was previously the executive director of Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America.

Pete Hegseth
Headshot of Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth in 2021
United States Secretary of Defense
Nominee
Assuming office
TBD
Appointed byDonald Trump
SucceedingLloyd Austin
Personal details
Born
Peter Brian Hegseth

(1980-06-06) June 6, 1980 (age 44)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
  • Meredith Schwarz
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2004; div. 2009)​
  • Samantha Deering
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2010; div. 2017)​
  • Jennifer Rauchet
    ​
    (m. 2019)​
Children7
Education
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service2003–present
RankMajor
UnitMinnesota Army National Guard
Battles/wars
Awards

Hegseth has been active in conservative and Republican politics since his undergraduate days at Princeton University. In 2016, he emerged as a strong supporter and ally of Donald Trump's presidential candidacy and served as an occasional advisor to Trump throughout the latter's first term as president. He reportedly persuaded Trump to pardon three American soldiers accused or convicted of war crimes related to the shooting of non-combatants in Iraq. Hegseth, who was a platoon leader at Guantanamo Bay during his military service, defended the treatment of inmates detained there.[5]

Hegseth was considered to lead the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in the first Trump administration, prior to the selection of David Shulkin in 2017.[6][7] In November 2024, President-elect Trump announced that he intends to nominate Hegseth for secretary of defense.[2]

Early life and education

Hegseth was born in 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Brian, a basketball coach, and Penny Hegseth.[8] He was raised in nearby Forest Lake[9] and is of Norwegian descent on both sides of the family.[10] He attended Forest Lake Area High School, where he played football and basketball, graduating in 1999 as valedictorian of his class.

Hegseth went on to receive his Bachelor of Arts in politics at Princeton University in 2003.[11][12] While there, he wrote for The Princeton Tory magazine[13] and played basketball for the Tigers under coach John Thompson III.[14][15] Their team made the NCAA tournament in 2001.[16][17]

In 2013, he received a Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.[18]

Military career

Following graduation from Princeton in 2003, Hegseth joined Bear Stearns as an equity capital markets analyst and was also commissioned as an infantry officer in the Minnesota National Guard.[19] In 2004 his unit was called to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, where he served as an infantry platoon leader with the Minnesota Army National Guard. His unit was under the operational control of the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. Shortly after returning from Cuba, Hegseth volunteered to serve in Baghdad and Samarra, where he held the position of infantry platoon leader and, later in Samarra, as Civil–Military Operations Officer. During his time in Iraq, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, and a second Army Commendation Medal.[20][citation needed]

He returned to active duty in 2012 as a captain.[21] He deployed to Afghanistan with the Minnesota Army National Guard and acted as a senior counterinsurgency instructor at the Counterinsurgency Training Center in Kabul.[citation needed]

By 2015 or 2016, Hegseth had been promoted to the rank of major, and was assigned to the Army Individual Ready Reserve.[22]

In 2020, Hegseth volunteered as one of the up-to-25,000 National Guard troops authorized by the Pentagon to be put on active duty to protect the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021, but was removed from that mission because he was one of twelve soldiers "linked to 'right-wing militia groups,' or found to have 'posted extremist views online.'"[23][24] Hegseth said that he was removed from the assignment because of a "Jerusalem Cross tattoo, which is just a Christian symbol."[23]

Conservative activism

Upon return from Iraq, Hegseth worked briefly at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. According to his LinkedIn page, Hegseth left the conservative think tank in 2007 to work as executive director at Vets For Freedom.[25] His role included responding to the Federal Election Commission as "treasurer" of the organization.[26][27] He worked at Vets for Freedom until 2012.[25] The organization advocated a greater troop presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.[25]

In 2012, Hegseth formed the political action committee MN PAC.[25] An APM Reports analysis found that while Hegseth ran the MN PAC political action committee, one-third of its $15,000 in funds were spent on Christmas parties for families and friends. Campaign finance laws in Minnesota do not prohibit such spending. Less than half of the PAC's resources were spent on candidates, and as of March 2018, the PAC had closed its account with the state board.[25]

Hegseth was the executive director for Concerned Veterans for America, an advocacy group funded by the Koch brothers.[28] The group advocated greater privatization of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).[28] According to his LinkedIn page, he left the group in 2015.[28]

While Hegseth was its chief executive, Concerned Veterans for America hired his brother Philip to work for the non-profit and paid him $108,000 according to tax records from 2016 and 2017. Asked about it, Hegseth's lawyer said that Philip, a May 2015 university graduate, was qualified for the media relations job, and noted there is no prohibition against private entities hiring family members.[25]

Hegseth spoke at the 2018 Arutz Sheva conference in Jerusalem, where he stated "there's no reason why the miracle of the re-establishment of the Temple on the Temple Mount is not possible."[29] Speaking at the National Council of Young Israel gala in New York City the same year, he said "Zionism and Americanism are the front lines of Western civilization and freedom in our world today."[30]

Senate campaign

Main article: 2012 United States Senate election in Minnesota

In 2012, Hegseth ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota.[25] He withdrew from the race after the May 2012 convention, before the Republican primary election in August,[31][32] both events in which Kurt Bills won the nomination.

Punditry

During the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, Hegseth initially backed Marco Rubio, then Ted Cruz, and ultimately Donald Trump.[25] Since then, Hegseth has emerged as a strong Trump supporter.[25] As a Fox News personality, he frequently criticized the media and Democrats. He criticized Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.[25] Hegseth has appeared on Fox News Channel, as well as on CNN and MSNBC.[33]

Fox News

Hegseth joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014.[25] In December 2018, Hegseth co-hosted Fox News Channel's All-American New Year with Fox Business Network's Kennedy, during which a pre-recorded telephone interview between him and President Trump was broadcast.[34][35] He has been a regular guest on Unfiltered with Dan Bongino since 2021.[36][37]

On June 14, 2015, Hegseth accidentally hit a West Point drummer with an axe while filming a live TV segment in honor of Flag Day.[38] The drummer said that he sustained "only minor injuries." The New York Daily News reported that in a later segment, the drummer was "seen cheerfully speaking on camera as if the accident never took place."[38]

Campaign to pardon war criminals

In May 2019, it was reported that Trump was considering pardoning several US military service members who had been convicted of committing war crimes, including a veteran set to stand trial for shooting indiscriminately at civilians, hitting a girl and an elderly man,[39] as well as fatally stabbing a captured teenage Islamic State (ISIS) member while he was receiving medical treatment. The Daily Beast and CNN later reported that Hegseth had sought to convince Trump to pardon these individuals for months. At the same time, Hegseth was discussing these cases on Fox News without disclosing that he had advised Trump to pardon them.[40][41] In November 2019, Trump pardoned three service members accused or convicted of war crimes. Shortly before Trump announced his decision, Hegseth suggested that Trump was about to take "imminent action" in the cases.[42][43]

Political positions

COVID-19

In February 2020, amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Hegseth said that Democrats were "rooting for coronavirus to spread. They're rooting for it to grow. They're rooting for the problem to get worse." Hegseth suggested the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was made up by Democrats to help them in the 2022 midterm elections, saying "Count on a variant about every October, every two years."[44]

Colleges

In June 2022, on a Fox & Friends Weekend segment, Hegseth crossed out Harvard on his diploma, writing in "Critical Theory" and then marking "RETURN TO SENDER" across the central body as a protest of Harvard and other such universities. "People will say 'this is just a stunt, you still have a degree' and that's fine. I went, I got the degree, I walked to the classes and all that, but I hope this is a statement that as conservatives and patriots, if we love this country, we can't keep sending our kids and elevating them to universities that are poisoning their mind. I may have survived it, but a lot of kids go there and buy into 'critical theory university,' and that's how we get future leaders, Supreme Court Justices, Senators, others, who see America as an evil place. And Harvard is a factory for that kind of thinking" he said. Hegseth then declared his intention to return the diploma to Harvard.[45]

In August 2019, he lamented that "young kids voting" are worried about the adverse effects of climate change. Hegseth also criticized universities for teaching students about "environmentalism and radical environmentalism" rather than a "real threat" such as Islamic extremism.[46]

Israel-Palestine

Hegseth spoke at the 2018 Arutz Sheva conference in Jerusalem, where he stated "there's no reason why the miracle of the re-establishment of the Temple on the Temple Mount is not possible."[47] Speaking at the National Council of Young Israel gala in New York City the same year, he said “Zionism and Americanism are the front lines of Western civilization and freedom in our world today.”[48]

Hegeseth has referred to Israel as "God's chosen people".[49]

Middle East

In January 2020, Hegseth expressed strong support for president Trump's decision to kill Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.[50] He also called on Trump to bomb the Iranian homeland, including cultural sites if they were storing weapons.[51]

U.S. secretary of defense

In November 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he intends to nominate Hegseth to serve as the next secretary of defense.[2] Hegseth's deal with Fox News ended that month in order for him to take the position.[52]

Hegseth's selection was a surprise, with one defense official saying, "Everyone is simply shocked."[53]

Hegseth has said that he wants to fire General Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[54] Hegseth also wants to purge the military of "woke" generals and DEI programs, saying that “any general that was involved, general, admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI, woke shit has got to go.”[55]

Personal life

Hegseth and his first wife, Meredith Schwarz, divorced in 2009. He married his second wife, Samantha Deering, in 2010; they have three children.[25]

In August 2017, while still married to Deering, Hegseth had a daughter with Fox executive producer Jennifer Rauchet, with whom he was having an extramarital relationship.[25] He and Deering divorced in August 2017. Hegseth and Rauchet, who has three young children from her first marriage, married in August 2019.[56]

Books

Hegseth wrote the foreword to the 2017 book The Case Against the Establishment (ISBN 978-1-6826-1474-7) by Nick Adams and Dave Erickson.[57] His books include:

Awards, decorations, and badges

  Combat Infantryman Badge
Bronze Star (x2)
Army Commendation Medal (x2)
  National Defense Service Medal
  Afghanistan Campaign Medal
  Iraq Campaign Medal
  Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
    Expert Infantryman Badge

See also

References

  1. ^ "On Air Personalities: Pete Hegseth". Fox News. December 1, 2016. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Beech, Eric (November 12, 2024). "Trump says he will nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  3. ^ Anderson, Zac. "Trump taps conservative media pundit Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  4. ^ "Trump's defense choice stuns the Pentagon and raises questions about the Fox News host's experience". AP News. November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  5. ^ "Military vet says Guantanamo Bay prison should not close". Minot Daily News. North Dakota. September 25, 2016. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  6. ^ Philipps, Dave (January 11, 2017). "Head of Veterans Health System Is Trump's Pick to Lead Veterans Affairs". The New York Times. New York City.
  7. ^ Philipps, Dave (December 12, 2016). "Veterans Groups Urge Trump to Keep Obama's V.A. Secretary". The New York Times. New York City.
  8. ^ "Meet Pete Hegseth's parents! | Fox News Video". Fox News. May 12, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  9. ^ "Veteran Pete Hegseth enters GOP race against Amy Klobuchar". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Associated Press. February 21, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  10. ^ Esther (October 3, 2018). "MyHeritage DNA Reveal on Fox and Friends". MyHeritage Blog. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Riese, Clint (February 15, 2012). "Hegseth weighing U.S. Senate bid". The Forest Lake Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  12. ^ "Trump selects Pete Hegseth '03 for Secretary of Defense". The Princetonian. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  13. ^ Catanese, David (March 6, 2012). "Pete Hegseth's Princeton files". Politico. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  14. ^ Princeton University Athletic Communications, ed. (March 8, 2003). "Hegseth Sparks Rally, Leads Men's Hoops To 44-40 Win". Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Schultz, Bob (August 27, 2008). "Meet Pete Hegseth". Journal Gazette & Times-Courier. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  16. ^ "Princeton makes Sweet 16 for first time since 1967". Fox and Friends. Fox News. March 24, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  17. ^ Wittry, Andy (May 8, 2020). "2001 NCAA Tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, rounds". Men's Basketball. Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  18. ^ Padilla, Cathy (February 4, 2019). "Pete Hegseth: Fighting the War for American Values". Community Magazine. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  19. ^ "Small Veterans Group Advocates for Military Spending Cuts". Washington Post. June 1, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  20. ^ Rowland, Kara. "Pete Hegseth – Bio, News, Photos". Washington Times. Retrieved April 6, 2017.[dead link‍]
  21. ^ "Trump taps Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary".
  22. ^ "Honor Our Heroes". ktar.com. 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Bickerton, James (November 13, 2024). "Pete Hegseth was removed from Biden's inauguration, labeled 'extremist'". Newsweek. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  24. ^ Garrett, Alexandra (January 19, 2021). "National Guard Members Removed From Inauguration Security". Newsweek. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Scheck, Tom (March 27, 2018). "Words and deeds out of alignment for potential Cabinet appointment and Fox News personality". apmreports.org. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  26. ^ Hegseth, Pete (September 29, 2008). "Re: July Quarterly Report (4/1/08-6/30/08)". Letter to Federal Election Commission. Archived from the original (TXT) on July 14, 2014.
  27. ^ Hegseth, Pete (December 7, 2009). "Re: Mid-Year Report (1/1/09-6/30/09)". Letter to Federal Election Commission. Archived from the original (TXT) on July 15, 2014.
  28. ^ a b c Summers, Juana (March 27, 2018). "Veterans groups sound the alarm on Trump's plan to replace VA secretary". CNN. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  29. ^ Trump's next Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the 2018 Arutz Sheva conference in Jerusalem (Video). Israel National News. November 13, 2024. 9 minutes in – via YouTube.
  30. ^ "Trump taps Pete Hegseth for defense secretary". Cleveland Jewish News. JNS. November 13, 2024. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  31. ^ Weigel, David (July 23, 2015). "Defeated by Ron Paul's network, veterans advocate will host Rand Paul". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  32. ^ rachelsb (May 24, 2012). "Republican Hegseth is out of U.S. Senate race. For good". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  33. ^ "Brief Biography: Pete Hegseth". Vets for Freedom. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  34. ^ Barber, James (December 31, 2018). "Army Vet Pete Hegseth Hosts New Year's Eve Coverage on Fox News". Military.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  35. ^ Phifer, Donica (January 1, 2019). "Donald Trump Says New Year's Resolutions Are 'Success, Prosperity And Health Of Our Country'". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  36. ^ Palumbo, Matt (November 5, 2021). "Shemeka Michelle, Robert Cahaly, and Lawrence Jones to Join Unfiltered With Dan Bongino". Bongino.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021. and regular Pete Hegseth
  37. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M.; Abrams, Rachel (March 2, 2020). "Right-Wing Media Says Virus Fears Were Whipped Up to Hurt Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  38. ^ a b Golgowski, Nina (June 22, 2015). "SEE IT: 'Fox & Friends' co-host strikes bystander with flying ax on live TV". nydailynews.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  39. ^ Philipps, Dave (April 23, 2019). "Navy SEALs Were Warned Against Reporting Their Chief for War Crimes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  40. ^ Suebsaeng, Asawin; Brodey, Sam; Kirell, Andrew (May 21, 2019). "Fox News Host Pete Hegseth Privately Lobbied Trump to Pardon Accused War Criminals". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  41. ^ Darcy, Oliver (May 21, 2019). "Fox News host Pete Hegseth has privately encouraged Trump to pardon servicemen accused of war crimes". CNN. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  42. ^ Martinez, Luis; McLaughlin, Elizabeth (November 16, 2019). "Trump issues pardons for 3 service members accused of war crimes". ABC News. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  43. ^ Philipps, Dave (November 15, 2019). "Trump Clears Three Service Members in War Crimes Cases". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  44. ^ Cillizza, Chris (November 29, 2021). "Have you heard the new Republican conspiracy theory about the Omicron variant?". CNN. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  45. ^ Sabes, Adam (June 18, 2022). "Pete Hegseth Vows to Send Back Harvard University Degree, writes 'Return To Sender' on diploma". Fox News. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  46. ^ Lemon, Jason (August 13, 2019). "Fox News host expresses frustration that young Americans believe in climate change". Newsweek. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  47. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  48. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  49. ^ "Who is Pete Hegseth, the pro-Israel Fox News host picked to head Pentagon?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  50. ^ Bittle, Jake (January 31, 2020). "Trump's War Whisperer". The New Republic. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  51. ^ Relman, Eliza. "The Fox host with Trump's ear on military issues urges him to bomb Iranian cultural sites and 'rewrite the rules' of war to be 'advantageous to us'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  52. ^ Luciano, Michael (November 12, 2024). "Trump to Nominate Fox News's Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense". Mediaite. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  53. ^ Herb, Jeremy; Britzky, Haley; Liebermann, Oren; Holmes, Kristen; Forrest, Jack (November 13, 2024). "Trump picks Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as secretary of defense | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  54. ^ Kirell, Andrew; Ortiz, Erik (November 13, 2024). "Trump's pick for defense secretary doesn't want women serving in combat". NBC News. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  55. ^ Kirell, Andrew; Ortiz, Erik (November 13, 2024). "Trump's pick for defense secretary doesn't want women serving in combat". NBC News. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  56. ^ Yilek, Caitlin (August 16, 2019). "Pete Hegseth getting married to Fox colleague at Trump golf club". Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  57. ^ The Case Against the Establishment. Retrieved May 15, 2020. (preview includes the foreword)
  58. ^ Grossman, Mary (May 8, 2016). "Hugh Glass' odyssey revisited in 'Lord Grizzly' reading". Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  59. ^ Baragona, Justin (May 22, 2020). "Tucker Carlson and Pete Hegseth Try to Bring 'Kung Flu' Back". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
 
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