Trump may replace Pete Hegseth with Ron DeSantis to lead Pentagon: Report

United States President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering replacing his defence secretary pick, Pete Hegseth. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal Trump is likely to replace Hegseth with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ahead of his second term in the White House.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host and a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been in hot water since Trump nominated him. Currently, he is facing intense scrutiny for his personal life, including alleged mistreatment of women.

DeSantis ran against Trump in the Republican primary. Before he dropped out, he was called Trump 2.0 with people thinking he could take the President-elect's populist agenda ahead.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

He was elected as Florida governor in 2018.

Neither DeSantis nor Trump's team replied to comment on the reports of him replacing Hegseth, CBS reported.

The news came after Hegseth met with members of Congress this week to discuss his nomination, which requires Senate approval. His nomination came in mid-November.

What did Hegseth's mother say?

On November 30, the New York Times reported that Hegseth's mother had been aware of his actions for a very long time. In 2018, she wrote an email questioning his character.

Saying he routinely mistreated women, Penelope Hegseth wrote in her email, "On behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way, I say … get some help and take an honest look at yourself," adding that she still loves her son.

Hegseth's controversial remarks

Hegseth recently shared various controversial remarks such as firing "woke generals" in the military and also spoke against the combat role of women in the military.

(With inputs from agencies)