Donald Trump has given his full support to Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, despite a slew of accusations about his personal life.
The president-elect denounced “fake news” and emphasized that the former Fox News host’s support is “strong and deep” as he fights to get the votes needed for his nomination.
The 44-year-old veteran has faced renewed sexual assault allegations and claims he was drunk at work, both of which he has denied.
During meetings with senators on Capitol Hill, he has vowed to remain level-headed if his nomination to head the Pentagon is successful.
‘Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more than the Fake News would have you believe,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday morning.
“He was a great student – educated at Princeton/Harvard – with a military mindset.
“He will be a fantastic, energetic Secretary of Defense, someone who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and nothing can change that!!!’
“Thank you, Mr. President. Like you, we will never back down,” Hegseth responded to X.
The controversial candidate for defense secretary has been meeting with senators all week to convince them he is the right choice.
Donald Trump has given his full support to Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, despite a slew of accusations about his personal life.
The 44-year-old veteran has faced renewed sexual assault allegations and claims he was drunk at work, both of which he has denied
On Thursday morning, Hegseth was spotted again at a Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers to shore up support.
“I spoke to Trump this morning, just a few minutes ago. He fully supports us,” Hegseth said as he walked to a meeting with South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds.
When asked if he would meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago, he acknowledged that it was the president-elect who was taking the lead. “If he wants a meeting, we will have a meeting,” he said
Of the 53 Republican senators who will oversee his possible confirmation early next year, Hegseth could lose just three Republican votes and still pull through.
Several female GOP senators have expressed interest in speaking personally with Hegseth to discuss the claims.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee — the panel charged with overseeing Hegseth’s confirmation — said she did not necessarily agree with the former TV host’s nomination.
During a Fox News interview, host Bill Hemmer pressed Ernst about her recent meeting with Hegseth, saying that it “doesn’t sound in your answer like you’ve reached a yes.”
“I think you’re right,” she replied.
“I think some of our senators want to make sure that all allegations have been addressed and so we need to go through a very thorough screening,” she said.
However, many Republicans appear to support Trump’s choices.
But according to the latest DailyMail.com/JL Partners poll, voters are not confident Hegseth is the man for the job.
The 1,000 registered voters who responded to the survey generally rated him unfavorably.
The survey found that only a majority of respondents rated Hegseth very or somewhat unfavorably, although the poor rating was associated with a narrow margin of one point.
Furthermore, a majority of voters responded that Hegseth is an inappropriate selection for the job.
Only 28 percent of respondents said his appointment was appropriate, while 29 percent said it was inappropriate, the poll found.
The remaining respondents had no opinion (27 percent) or had never heard of him (16 percent).
Hegseth has met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill for three consecutive days about his vision for leading the Pentagon
Voters aren’t sure Hegseth is the man for the job, according to the latest DailyMail.com/JL Partners poll
Donald Trump has given his full support to his nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, meets with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.
Of the many nominations Trump has made for his Cabinet and other high-level positions, only the nomination of Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security and the nomination of Hegseth as secretary of Defense were deemed inappropriate.
Despite this, the poll found that voters also believe the former TV host should be confirmed to the post by a three-point margin.
Voters in particular responded, saying all of Trump’s selections should be confirmed.
Still, among Republican voters who responded to the poll, Hegseth was among the most unpopular nominations.