Fox News host & Israel supporter Pete Hegseth to be Defence Secretary in Trump's second term
File photo
US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday (Nov 12) nominated military veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as defence secretary when the Republican takes back the White House in January.
"With Pete at the helm, America's enemies are on notice. Our Military will be great again, and America will never back down," Trump said in a statement.
"Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First," Trump added.
An Appreciator of Jews
Hegseth is an Army National Guard veteran and according to his website has served in Afghanistan, Iraq Guantanamo Bay and Cuba.
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Before joining Fox News, he unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Minnesota in 2012.
In his coverage on the news channel, Hegseth has been an advocate of Israel.
In 2016, during an interview with the Jewish Press, Hegseth said, "This is not some mystical land that can be dismissed." He was referring to biblical and historical sites in Israel.
“It’s the story of God’s chosen people. That story didn’t end in 1776 or 1948 or with the founding of the UN. All of these things still resonate and matter today," The Times Of Israel quoted him as saying.
During that interview, he also said that he had never met a Jew until he went to college.
“My parents come from a small town in Minnesota where I grew up as a Baptist. I never met a Jewish person until I went to college. When I did, the first thing I said to him was, ‘I read about you in the Bible!’ It was from there and beyond that I gained a true understanding of Jews. Growing up an evangelical, I had an enormous amount of respect and understanding of the historical resonance of Abraham and religions and how they’re intertwined," Hegseth added.
He said he "really appreciates" the Jewish heritage and Jewish state.
Trump's Other Selections
The same day he announced Hegseth's role, Trump named South Dakota GovernorKristiNoemas head of the US Department of Homeland Security, a powerful post at the heart of the Republican's hard-line immigration policies.
"Kristihas been very strong on Border Security. She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times," Trump said in a statement.
(With inputs from agencies)
