Donald Trump announced Tuesday, November 12, that he plans to appoint Pete Hegseth, current Fox News anchor, as Defense Secretary. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are warned – our armed forces will know greatness again, and America will never back down.”said the president-elect in a statement. If confirmed by the Senate, Pete Hegseth at the age of 44, will take charge of the world’s most powerful armed forces.

As a member of the U.S. National Guard, this former infantry officer was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he earned two prestigious Bronze Star medals, according to his official website. He joined Fox News as a consultant in 2014 and now co-hosts the popular weekend show Fox and Friends. He is also a presenter on the network’s streaming service, Fox Nation. Pete Hegseth is the author of several essays, including one entitled The War on Warriors which, according to Donald Trump’s statement, “reveals the betrayal by the left of our warriors and how we must return our armed forces to meritocracy, lethality, accountability and excellence.”.

A sincere follower of “America First””

According to the American press, the presenter was approached during the first term of Donald Trump for the Veterans Affairs portfolio, but was ultimately unsuccessful. This time, he’s about to take the helm of a department that includes more than 3.4 million soldiers and civilian employees. Pete Hegseth is “tough, smart and a true believer in “America First”“said the president-elect on social networks.

According to Washington PostIn 2019, Pete Hegseth succeeded in convincing Donald Trump to pardon two soldiers accused of war crimes in Afghanistan. A graduate of the prestigious universities of Princeton and Harvard, Pete Hegseth nevertheless claims on his website that he sent his degree back to the latter: on his show, he criticized the university for its supposed left-wing leanings. He lives with his wife and seven children in the conservative southern state of Tennessee.