Trump floats DeSantis as potential defense secretary replacement if Hegseth falters

close

Video

Pete Hegseth's mother sets record straight on allegations against son

Penelope Hegseth joins 'Fox & Friends' to defend her son's character and discuss his nomination by President-elect Trump to be defense secretary.

President-elect Trump is considering nominating Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida as defense secretary to replace Pete Hegseth, Trump's embattled current pick to steer the Pentagon, multiple sources confirm to Fox News.

DeSantis, a bitter Trump rival last year and early this year during the GOP presidential nomination battle, made peace with Trump after the primaries and helped raise funds for Trump during the general election. 

The popular conservative governor, a Navy veteran who served in the Iraq War, was re-elected in a landslide in 2022 but is term-limited and cannot run for re-election in 2026.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waves from the stage on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)

DeSantis is "very much" in contention to replace Hegseth, multiple sources told Fox News.

One source added that it was the president-elect himself who floated the governor's name, and that Trump and DeSantis discussed the idea as they met Tuesday while appearing together in Florida at a memorial service for fallen law enforcement officers in Palm Beach County.

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP'S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

The reporting from Fox News and other organizations comes as Hegseth on Wednesday returns to Capitol Hill to continue meeting with Republican senators as he makes his case for confirmation as defense secretary.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, is joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet, as they walk through the basement of the Capitol, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Hegseth, an Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who previously was a Fox News host, is facing a series of drinking and sexual misconduct allegations. 

WHY BIDEN'S PARDON OF HIS SON IS A POLITICAL GIFT FOR TRUMP

Hegseth has denied allegations that he mistreated women.

Video

"I spoke with the President-elect this morning. He said keep going, keep fighting," Hegseth told reporters as he arrived on Capitol Hill. 

"Why would I back down? I have always been a fighter," he added.

Hegseth also made his case in a social media post on Wednesday morning, writing, "I'm doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers."

But a top Trump ally in the Senate is concerned.

"He obviously has a chance to defend himself here. But some of this stuff is — it’s going to be difficult," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a longtime military veteran, told reporters on Tuesday.

Among the senators Hegseth was meeting with on Wednesday is Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a military veteran and sexual-assault victim whose support would be crucial to his Senate confirmation.

Ernst told reporters on the eve of the meeting that she would likely have a "frank and thorough conversation" with Hegseth.

Hegseth's mother, Penelope Hegseth, appeared Wednesday on "FOX and Friends" to defend her son and "set the record straight."

"I am here to tell the truth. To tell the truth to the American people and tell the truth to senators on the Hill, especially female senators. I really hope that you will not listen to the media and you will listen to Pete," she added.

From left: President Trump, a Secret Service member, Eric Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis attend a memorial service for three fallen Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies at the South Florida Fairgrounds in Palm Beach County on Tuesday. (Bill Ingram/Imagn)

If Trump moves ahead and nominates DeSantis and the governor is confirmed by the GOP-controlled Senate next year, it would lead to the ascension of Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez. She would make history as Florida's first female governor — and the first of Cuban descent.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Wall Street Journal was first to report the news that Trump is considering DeSantis for defense secretary.