President-elect Donald Trump is doubling down on his support for his defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, as the media relentlessly attacks him to knock him off the nomination.
During an interview with “Meet the Press" Moderator Kristen Welker, Trump reaffirmed his decision to appoint Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary under his second administration, saying that “Pete is doing well.”
“I mean, people were a little bit concerned. He’s a young guy with a tremendous track record, actually. He went to Princeton and went to Harvard. He was a good student at both. But he loves the military, and I think people are starting to see it, so we’ll be working on his nomination along with a lot of others,” Trump said.
The former Fox News host is facing scrutiny over his alleged drinking “problem” and sexual misconduct from an unnamed, unverifiable woman who claims Hegseth “raped” her without providing evidence.
Following the interview, Trump posted to his Truth Social account, calling Hegseth a “winner” and saying that “there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”
“He will be a fantastic, high-energy Secretary of Defense Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill,” he wrote.
This comes as news outlets confirmed Trump had discussed replacing Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
However, Trump told Welker that he had several senators who assured him that Hegseth would be confirmed.
Pointing out that Trump does not drink, Welker asked if she had concerns about Hegseth’s excessive drinking, despite him vowing not to drink if he got confirmed. Defending Hegseth, Trump said that he has spoken to multiple people who say he does not have a drinking problem.