WASHINGTON: United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump officially announced nominating Fox News channel host, Pete Hegseth, for the position of the Secretary of Defense.
The announcement came as Trump highlighted Hegseth’s qualities as “tough, smart and a staunch advocate for America First”.
Read more: Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira sentenced to 15 years in US prison
In his statement, Trump stated that “with Pete at the helm, America’s adversaries should be on alert – Our military will be revitalised and America will stand firm”.
Pete Hegseth served as an officer in the US Army National Guard. He has a reportedly ‘extensive’ military background. The Fox News host was deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
His nomination signals Trump’s intention to have a tougher defense policy towards perceived threats to the US. Trump has often a very confrontational approach towards what he considers an ‘enemy’.
Hegseth’s combined background in media and military is excellent to leverage as defense secretary, exploiting his ability to communicate and engage with the public in a more charismatic manner to shape average US citizen’s public perception on military initiatives and policies.
His military background, especially having fought in both, Iraq and Afghanistan, hints at Trump’s intention to strengthen US military capabilities.
As Trump mentioned himself, Hegseth’s “America First” thinking aligns with the rhetoric Trump has been pushing in all his campaigns all along.
Read more: Trump’s day 1: Deportations, border wall, scrapping Biden humanitarian programmes
Donald Trump talked about Hegseth’s ‘commitment’ to military service. “Pete has dedicated his entire life to advocating for the [US] troops and our nation”.