It looks like Pete Hegseth is in serious trouble. The sleaze just keeps pouring out from every direction. I doubt Trump or any Republicans really care about the womanizing and misogyny. That’s the brand. But the drunkeness may be a dealbreaker for Trump.
According to Marc Caputo at the Bulwark he’s already looking elsewhere:
DONALD TRUMP AND RON DESANTIS have personally discussed the possibility of the Florida governor becoming the next secretary of defense amid concerns that sexual assault allegations could engulf the president-elect’s current nominee for the post, Pete Hegseth.
The talks, relayed by four sources briefed on them, are in their advanced stages. They underscore the fears within Trump world about Hegseth’s ability to survive a Senate confirmation process—despite public posturing from Hegseth and allies that he remains committed to ending up at DoD.
“These discussions are real. It’s serious. I can’t say it’s definitely going to happen, but the governor is receptive and Trump is serious, too,” a top Republican source familiar with the conversations told The Bulwark on condition of anonymity.
The discussions around DeSantis involvele persona untangling several different political threads. The governor is currently handling the fallout of a separate Trump cabinet pick: Marco Rubio’s nomination to be secretary of state. DeSantis is weighing whether to appoint Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to fill Rubio’s Senate seat. The possibility that the governor himself could end up at the Pentagon may factor into that decision.
How convenient.
DeSantis is qualified. He’s a Navy vet and has run the state of Florida. I can’t imagine he would balk at Trump’s desire to declare martial law and shoot protesters or send troops to invade Mexico, since he endorsed all those things during his campaign. It’s possible that he might be less likely than a drunken Hegseth to back an order to drop a nuclear bomb on Canada or something but maybe not. He’s as MAGA as MAGA can be, a true blue neo-fascist. If Trump wasn’t such a fool for a good lookin’ man he would have picked him in thefirst place.
Caputo’s source seemed to think that Hegseth is dead in the water: “Trump talking to DeSantis while this is all going on is a sure sign that Trump doesn’t think Pete is gonna make it.”
Loyalty only goes one way. It’s clear that Trump could really not care less if his first choice makes it or not. He’s ready to toss them aside if they get into trouble. He is impervious to criticism, embarrassment or shame. He just does what he wants. If I were Kash, Tulsi and Bobby I wouldn’t waste too much time preparing for these new jobs. There’s every reason to believe they’ll get tossed too, only to be replaced by another MAGA henchman. They all serve at the pleasure of the king.