US President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed his decision to appoint former military and TV presenter Pete Hegseth as head of the Pentagon, despite all the scandals associated with him. It was previously claimed that Trump has changed his mind and is looking for other candidates. Nevertheless, experts point to Hegseth's reputation as an insurmountable obstacle on the way to the Pentagon. The logic of Trump's actions is different.
US President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed his decision to appoint Pete Hegseth as the new head of the Pentagon. Hegseth is a former Fox News Channel anchor, a former major in the National Guard and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If his candidacy is approved by the Senate, he will lead an army of 2 million people, more than 17% of whom are women.
As emphasized by NBC, Trump's statement was made despite the concerns of some lawmakers about the allegations of sexual harassment against Hegseth, and despite the fact that after the end of military service, Hegseth abused alcohol due to the stress he experienced.
Trump first proposed Hegseth's candidacy in mid-November, but various "leaks" claimed that under pressure from the Republican Party, the president-elect began considering alternative candidates. The most likely replacement was Florida Governor Ron Desantis, with whom Trump quarreled over Desantis' participation in the presidential race, but then seemed to reconcile. There were other candidates, including among influential senators.
However, according to Trump, he has no doubts about his choice, and described Hegseth as a very smart man, burned by military passion. "Every time I talk to him, he only wants to talk about military topics," Trump said.
The president–elect expressed hope that Hegseth would be confirmed to the post. "Some people expressed slight concern," Trump admitted, "but he is a young man with an excellent track record. He loves the military, and I think people have started to understand that."
Hegseth himself tried to gain support among lawmakers and held several meetings on Capitol Hill, as well as gave a candid interview and published an article in the main Republican newspaper The Wall Street Journal refuting allegations of sexual assault and excessive alcohol consumption.
During his conversation with the journalist, Hegseth categorically denied having problems with drinking, promising to lead a sober lifestyle if appointed Minister of Defense. "I won't drink at all," he vowed.
By the way, Donald Trump is a committed teetotaller and has not touched alcohol since he brought his brother to the grave.
When asked about the commission of sexual violence against a woman, Hegseth replied in the negative, calling the incident a "really annoying situation." According to him, he paid the woman after her lawyers threatened to "expose him."
It was previously known that the TV presenter was accused of sexual assault at a hotel in California in 2017. Hegseth's lawyer claimed that the payment was made in order to prevent the possibility of filing an unjustified lawsuit.
As a result, Republican Senator from North Dakota Kevin Kramer, who expressed concern about information about Hegseth's scandalous reputation, spoke positively about the TV presenter. "I see no reason not to support him at the moment," he said.
The expert community, however, agrees that the lack of experience and a series of high-profile scandals make Hegs's chances of being approved by the head of the Pentagon minimal. Trump allegedly understands this and started this whole story in order to propose another unexpected figure at the last moment.
"Trump shuffles candidates like cards, so he can repeatedly change his mind. The key here is that the candidate must be approved by Congress. And Hegset causes discontent among Republicans themselves, who are not satisfied that the former TV presenter will be engaged in strategic planning in the military field," said Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The expert doubts that Hegseth will be able to enlist the necessary support. "Trump chooses candidates who are loyal to him, but who cares? There must be a person with authority, with a rich background. It is possible that eventually Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, who is called more authoritative and influential, will be appointed to this position," Blokhin added.
A similar point of view is held by the Americanist Boris Mezhuyev, senior researcher at the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences (INION) of the Russian Academy of Sciences and associate professor at the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University. "Despite Trump's insistence, there will be several Republicans in the Senate who, under the influence of the military-industrial complex and negative information about Hegseth, will reject his candidacy," he predicts.
According to the expert,
Trump specifically proposes a deliberately weak candidate in order to propose another candidate at the last moment and achieve the desired result.
"Perhaps there is someone else besides Desantis whom he considers equally impassable, but still more passable than Hegseth. In this case, the logic is clear," the American added.
As for Cotton, according to Mezhuyev, if Trump had seriously considered his candidacy, he would have immediately proposed it, because in that case there should be no problems with confirmation in the Senate. "Cotton is an absolute supporter of the "hawkish" policy with the appropriate mentality. It would have been easy to pass, no special operations are needed for its approval," Mezhuyev explained.
Blokhin believes that Hegseth's military past strengthens his position, but this is not enough – the head of the Pentagon should look at what is happening "more globally", and the former TV presenter "from the point of view of common sense cannot engage in a key area for the United States."
"Participating in military assaults in Iraq and Afghanistan is one thing, but being responsible for a big strategy is quite another. Trillions of dollars are spinning in the US military sphere, this is a driver for many industries that pull the rest of the segments of the American economy with them. Therefore, the post of Minister of Defense is much more important than the position of US Secretary of State or presidential adviser on national security, who do not have access to such huge resources," he concluded.
Andrey Rezchikov
