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Pete Hegseth

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Pete Hegseth
Official portrait, 2025
29th United States Secretary of Defense
Assumed office
January 25, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputySteve Feinberg
Preceded byLloyd Austin
Personal details
Born
Peter Brian Hegseth

(1980-06-06) June 6, 1980 (age 45)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Meredith Schwarz
​
​
(m. 2004; div. 2009)​
Samantha Deering
​
​
(m. 2010; div. 2017)​
Jennifer Rauchet
​
(m. 2019)​
Children7
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
Harvard University (MPP)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service2003–present
RankMajor
UnitMinnesota Army National Guard
Battles/warsIraq War
War in Afghanistan
AwardsBronze Star (x2)
Army Commendation Medal (x2)
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Expert Infantryman Badge
Combat Infantryman Badge

Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is an American political commentator, television presenter, author and Army National Guard officer who has been the 29th United States Secretary of Defense since 2025.[1]

Hegseth was in the U.S. military with deployments to Cuba and Iraq. He began working for Fox News as a commentator in 2014 and was a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend from 2017 to 2024.[2][3] He was the executive director of Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America.

He was thought to be the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs under the Donald Trump presidency, but major veterans' groups objected, and in January 2017, David Shulkin was selected instead.[4][5] In November 2024, President-elect Trump announced that he intends to nominate Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.[6] In 2025, he was involved in the United States government group chat leak, also known as Signalgate.

Early life

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Hegseth was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was raised in nearby Forest Lake.[7] Hegseth graduated from Princeton University in 2003.[8] In 2013, he received a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.[9]

Military career

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Following graduation from Princeton in 2003, Hegseth joined Bear Stearns. He was also commissioned as an infantry officer in the Minnesota National Guard.[10] In 2004 he went to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, where he was an infantry platoon leader. Hegseth volunteered to serve in Baghdad and Samarra. During his time in Iraq, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, and a second Army Commendation Medal.[11] He returned to active duty in 2012 as a captain.[12] By 2015 or 2016, Hegseth had been promoted to the rank of major, and was assigned to the Army Individual Ready Reserve.[13]

U.S. Senate campaign

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In 2012, Hegseth ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota. He ended his campaign after the May 2012 convention, before the Republican primary election in August.[14][15]

Fox News

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Hegseth joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014. In December 2018, Hegseth co-hosted Fox News Channel's All-American New Year with Fox Business Network's Kennedy.[16][17] He was a regular guest on Unfiltered with Dan Bongino.[18][19] From 2017 until 2024, he was a co-host of Fox & Friends.

U.S. Secretary of Defense

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Nomination

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In November 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he planned to nominate Hegseth to serve as the next Secretary of Defense.[20][6]

Several days later, a woman sent a memo to Trump's transition team about a 2017 sexual assault allegation against Hegseth.[21] Several senators later said they were worried about Hegseth being the Defense secretary nominee.[21][22]

He appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on January 14, 2025.[23] During the hearing, Hegseth denied allegations of sexual assault, marital infidelity, and public drunkenness.[24]

On January 21, senators received an affidavit from his former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, stating that she had seen Hegseth's bad behavior and believed that "Hegseth has an alcohol abuse problem", believed that he "was abusive to his ex-wife Samantha", and swore that Samantha had "hid in her closet from Hegseth because she feared for her personal safety".[25] Hegseth denied the affidavit's claims and his ex-wife said he was never physically abusive.[26]

Hegseth being sworn-in as Defense secretary by Vice President JD Vance, January 2025

On January 23, 2025, Senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted no for the nomination process to move towards the confirmation process in the Senate. All Senate Democrats also voted no for this step in the confirmation process, given the total 51–49 vote, moving his nomination for a full Senate vote on January 24, 2025.[27][28] He was confirmed by the Senate in a 51–50 vote on January 24, 2025, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. Collins, Murkowski and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined all Senate Democrats in voting against Hegseth.[29]

Time in office

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Hegseth was sworn in as secretary of defense on January 25, 2025 by Vice President JD Vance. In a call to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu a day after being sworn in, Hegseth said that the United States was "fully committed" to the security of Israel. Hegseth visited the Mexico–United States border with Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, in El Paso, Texas, in February.

Hegseth told Asian allies (May 2025), that those allies "they weren’t spending enough on their own defense".[30]

Signal chat leak

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Main article: United States government group chat leak
A screenshot of the Signal chat leak

From March 11 to 15, 2025, a group of United States national security leaders had a conversation on a group chat using the Signal messaging service about a military operations against the Houthis in Yemen. Among the chat's members were Hegseth, Vice President Vance, top White House staff, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A leak of the chat happened when National Security Advisor Mike Waltz a journalist from The Atlantic to the group by accident. On March 15, Hegseth used the chat to share sensitive and classified details of the airstrikes, including types of aircraft and missiles, as well as launch and attack times.[31][32][33]

On April 20, 2025, The New York Times reported that Hegseth started another Signal group chat[34] called "Defense ' Team Huddle" [sic].[35] This chat had information about the timing of airstrikes, and included Hegseth's brother, his wife and about a dozen other people.[36][37][38]

Personal life

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Hegseth and his first wife, Meredith Schwarz, divorced in 2009. He married his second wife, Samantha Deering, in 2010. They have three children. Hegseth lived near Nashville, Tennessee with his family.[39]

In August 2017, while still married to Deering, Hegseth had a daughter with Fox executive producer Jennifer Rauchet. He and Deering divorced in August 2017. Hegseth and Rauchet married in August 2019.[40]

Other information

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He has tattoos. Before the U.S. Congress gave confirmation that he could have the job as Secretary of Defense, media said that Hegseth has a tattoo that has a political meaning. He has showed that kind of tattoo on social media, according to media outlets.

Earlier (2020), Hegseth volunteered as one of the up-to-25,000 National Guard troops 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.'"[41][42]

New advisers (as of April 2025), are "the former military aide, Colonel Ricky Buria; Justin Fulcher, a tech entrepreneur and DOGE adviser; and Patrick Weaver", a government worker.[43]

References

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  1. ↑ "Pete Hegseth". Fox News. 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
  2. ↑ Anderson, Zac. "Trump taps conservative media pundit Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  3. ↑ "Trump's defense choice stuns the Pentagon and raises questions about the Fox News host's experience". AP News. 2024-11-13. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  4. ↑ DAVE PHILIPPS, "Head of Veterans Health System Is Trump's Pick to Lead Veterans Affairs", The New York Times, January 11, 2017.
  5. ↑ Veterans Groups Urge Trump to Keep Obama’s V.A. Secretary, Dave Philipps, The New York Times, December 12, 2016
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Herb, Jeremy; Britzky, Haley; Liebermann, Oren; Holmes, Kristen; Forrest, Jack (2024-11-13). "Trump picks Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as secretary of defense | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  7. ↑ "Veteran Pete Hegseth enters GOP race against Amy Klobuchar". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Associated Press. February 21, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ "Small Veterans Group Advocates for Military Spending Cuts". Washington Post. 1 June 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  11. ↑ Rowland, Kara. "Pete Hegseth – Bio, News, Photos". Washington Times. Retrieved April 6, 2017.[dead link]
  12. ↑ "Trump taps Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary".
  13. ↑ "Honor Our Heroes". ktar.com. 2016. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ 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
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. ↑ Luciano, Michael (November 12, 2024). "Trump to Nominate Fox News's Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense". Mediaite. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Dorn, Sara. "Hegseth Cabinet Nomination: GOP Senator Calls Sexual Assault Allegation 'A Pretty Big Problem'". Forbes. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  22. ↑ Haner, Joanne. "Duckworth: Hegseth nomination an 'insult' to Defense Department". The Hill. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  23. ↑ Jalonick, Mary Jane (2024-12-25). "Fate of Trump's Cabinet picks unclear as Republicans prepare to take power in Senate". ABC News. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
  24. ↑ Demirjian, Karoun (January 14, 2025). "Hegseth Won't Say Whether Sexual Assault, Drinking or Adultery Is Disqualifying". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  25. ↑ Tsirkin, Julie; Fitzpatrick, Sarah; Kube, Courtney (2025-01-21). "Senators receive affidavit containing new allegations against Pete Hegseth, who denies the claims". NBC News. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  26. ↑ Neukam, Stephen (January 21, 2025). "Hegseth and ex-wife deny claims by ex-sister-in-law". Axios. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Will Pete Hegseth be confirmed as Defense Secretary? Maine Sen. Susan Collins votes no". Yahoo News. 2025-01-24. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
  28. ↑ Demirjian, Karoun (2025-01-23). "Senate Advances Pete Hegseth's Nomination as Defense Secretary to Final Vote". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
  29. ↑ Cite error: The named reference :26 was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  30. ↑ https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/30/hegseth-warns-asia-allies-that-china-threat-is-imminent-00378700. Retrieved 2025-05-31
  31. ↑ "Watch: Atlantic Editor Jeffrey Goldberg Weighs Releasing Trump War Planning Texts". YouTube. The Bulwark. March 25, 2025. Archived from the original on March 29, 2025. Retrieved March 27, 2025. I withheld her name from this they named it they named somebody who's an active CIA officer in this thread which is on Signal again a commercial app and which I'm watching um uh you you know and I withheld it I didn't put it in the story because she's under cover but I mean the CIA director put it into the chat but so that's clearly classified (9m16s)
  32. ↑ Bickerton, James (March 25, 2025). "Signal War Plans Chat: Read Leaked Texts in Full". Newsweek. Archived from the original on March 28, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  33. ↑ Smialek, Jeanna; Erlanger, Steven (March 25, 2025). Written at Brussels & Berlin. "Now Europe Knows What Trump's Team Calls It Behind Its Back: 'Pathetic'". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on March 26, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2025. Trump administration officials haven't kept their disdain for Europe quiet. But the contempt seems to be even louder behind closed doors.
  34. ↑ Stewart, Phil; Ali, Idrees (April 20, 2025). "Pentagon chief Hegseth shared sensitive Yemen war plans in second Signal chat, source says". Reuters. Archived from the original on April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  35. ↑ Copp, Tara Copp (April 20, 2025). "Hegseth had another Signal chat where he shared details of Yemen strike, New York Times reports". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Associated Press. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  36. ↑ "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared war plans in second Signal chat: report". New York Post. Reuters. April 20, 2025. Archived from the original on April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  37. ↑ Mackey, Robert (April 21, 2025). "Pete Hegseth shared Yemen attack details in second Signal chat – report". The Guardian. Retrieved April 21, 2025. which included his wife, his brother and about a dozen other people
  38. ↑ Bressner, Noah (April 21, 2025). "Turmoil engulfs Pentagon as fresh Signal allegations hit Hegseth". Axios. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  39. ↑ "How Pete Hegseth went from Fox News host to Trump's Defense Secretary pick". CNN. November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  40. ↑ 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.
  41. ↑ Bickerton, James (2024-11-13). "Pete Hegseth was removed from Biden's inauguration, labeled 'extremist'". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  42. ↑ Garrett, Alexandra (2021-01-19). "National Guard Members Removed From Inauguration Security". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  43. ↑ https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/28/caroll-hegseth-pentagon-00312849. Retrieved 2025-04-29

Other websites

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Quotations related to Pete Hegseth at Wikiquote Media related to Pete Hegseth at Wikimedia Commons

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