Trump picks Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as secretary of defense

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

72% : In a statement announcing Hegseth, Trump praised his combat record as well as his tenure as a Fox News host and his bestselling book.
68% : Alaska Republican Sen Lisa Murkowski said "wow" on Tuesday evening upon hearing Trump had picked the Fox News host to lead the Pentagon.
60% : Sources said that it came down to Trump having a longstanding relationship with Hegseth, noting that the president-elect always thought he was "smart" and was impressed by his career.
58% : Trump also likes that Hegseth is a military veteran and the account of his service in his book, the sources said.
52% : Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida had been floated for the job, but Trump has since asked him to serve as his national security adviser.
47% : "Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country," Trump said in a Tuesday statement.
47% : But in Hegseth, Trump is likely to have a loyalist leading the department with which he had an often rocky relationship during his first term.
43% : Sen. Todd Young, a Republican of Indiana, who has been critical of Trump at times, said he wanted to learn more about the intended nominee.
43% : He has also acted as an informal adviser to Trump for a number of years while he was in and out of office, Trump advisers told CNN.
39% : In his book, Hegseth wrote that he had served under former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Trump.
37% : While Hegseth's name had not been on the initial shortlist, Trump was struggling to land on a choice for the job, and he liked Hegseth from Trump's last term when he briefly considered him for leading the Department of Veterans Affairs before being warned that he may not get confirmed by the Senate, one source familiar said.
37% : CNN reported last week that Pentagon officials have been gaming out various scenarios as they prepare for an overhaul of the Defense Department under Trump.
35% : CNN reported in 2019 that Hegseth, while working at Fox News, privately encouraged Trump to pardon some United States servicemen accused of war crimes.
35% : Trump has suggested his national security team would be tasked with reassessing the United States' posture toward Ukraine and Russia, China, Iran, and the simmering conflict in the Middle East.
34% : "Trump also thinks he has the look," one source said.
29% : "Indeed, in choosing Hegseth, Trump has likely set off what could be his first contentious confirmation fight for a Cabinet pick.
28% : The president-elect's relationship with Pentagon leadership was incredibly fraught in his first term, and the two men confirmed to serve as defense secretary under him have been hugely critical of Trump since leaving office.
26% : The controversial move went against the advice of then-Defense Secretary Esper and other senior military leaders who had told Trump that a presidential pardon could potentially damage the integrity of the military judicial system.
17% : Trump went on to pardon two service members and restore the rank of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who had been demoted.
14% : The president-elect feuded with his first defense secretary, Mattis, who resigned in protest after Trump announced an immediate withdrawal of US forces from Syria.
9% : But Trump ultimately soured on both of those secretaries and was sharply critical of them after Mattis resigned and Esper was fired.

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