Trump considers DeSantis for Defense secretary as Hegseth appears to falter

President-elect Donald Trump is considering nominating Republican presidential rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as Defense secretary, according to two people familiar with the situation.

DeSantis would replace Pete Hegseth, whose prospects for confirmation appear to be dimming amid allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse.

A final decision has not been made, according to the two people, who were granted anonymity to discuss internal matters.

Bringing DeSantis into the Trump administration fold could help the governor’s political prospects given that he is term-limited and scheduled to leave office in early 2027 when it was anticipated he could run for president again. It would lead to the ascension of Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, who would be the first female governor of Florida and the first of Cuban descent.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that Trump was considering DeSantis. Hegseth is still meeting with senators this week and has a planned appearance on Fox News on Wednesday morning with his mother.

Hegseth was already facing a difficult confirmation because of a 2017 sexual assault allegation and because he has no experience running a large organization — let alone one as complex as the Pentagon. His prospects worsened in recent days after The New Yorker reported that he was forced out of leadership positions with two veterans organizations amid allegations of mismanagement, alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct.

Hegseth is making the rounds on Capitol Hill this week, meeting with Senate Republicans in a bid to shore up his nomination. He cannot afford to lose more than three Republicans in a confirmation vote, assuming all Democrats oppose him.

He is expected to meet with several more GOP senators on Wednesday, including incoming Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who will oversee the confirmation process for Trump’s Pentagon chief, and incoming Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).

The allegations against Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News personality, include a 2017 allegation of sexual assault that was investigated by police in Monterey, California. He reached a settlement agreement with the accuser, though he was never charged for the incident and has denied wrongdoing.

Hegseth is facing enough opposition in the Senate — particularly among Republican women — that there are growing doubts about his ability to be confirmed, according to a Republican official granted anonymity to discuss the situation.

He will have a chance Wednesday to repair his standing with the Fox interview and with his Hill meetings, including one with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, but there’s not much optimism that it will succeed, the official said.

DeSantis, like Hegseth, may appeal to Trump’s stated goal of eliminating “woke” military officers from the Defense Department.

As a presidential candidate, the Florida governor unveiled a plan for the military that would have eliminated diversity initiatives, banned transgender service members from the military and reinstated members who’d refused a Covid-19 vaccine.

DeSantis and Trump spoke Tuesday when they both attended a memorial in Palm Beach for three law enforcement officers killed in a vehicle crash last month, a source familiar with the discussion confirmed. The person didn’t know whether the Defense secretary job came up.

DeSantis and Trump fought a bitter and personal primary battle that ended with the governor dropping out after the Iowa Caucuses. DeSantis accused Trump of being insufficiently conservative and played down the role that his endorsement had on getting him elected governor in 2018. The two made a truce this summer, and DeSantis helped to fundraise for Trump.

Still, there’s been some tension around how to shape Florida after Trump’s election, especially as the president-elect picks so many people from his adopted home state to fill his administration.

One person familiar with the outreach said that DeSantis’ name was on a list of potential candidates for administration jobs, including Defense, that was circulated weeks ago but the governor at the time did not express any interest. His name came under consideration again as Hegseth’s nomination came under mounting scrutiny.

Right after Trump was elected, DeSantis said he did not want to join the administration. During a visit to the University of Notre Dame he told a group of students that he was “not seeking anything.” He added that “we got a great job in the state of Florida. … How can I best make a difference? I think, you know, given where we are, I think me quarterbacking the Sunshine State is probably how I make the biggest difference.”

The consideration of DeSantis comes when the governor has his own plum political appointments to hand out. He is expected to name a successor for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has been tapped by Trump to become secretary of State. DeSantis has previously said he would name his choice by early January and was conducting interviews to vet candidates.

Lara Trump, who is Trump’s daughter-in-law, has expressed a willingness to take the position, but DeSantis has multiple Florida Republicans who could be in the mix for the job.

DeSantis was first elected Florida’s governor in 2018 and quickly became a rising star among conservatives due to his response to the Covid pandemic and his eagerness to wade into contentious battles over race, education, and gender and sexual identity.

DeSantis’ political future, however, was in question following his failed presidential run. DeSantis has steadfastly told allies that he is not interested in going to the Senate even though he once ran for Rubio’s seat when Rubio made his own bid for president.

The 46-year-old DeSantis graduated from Yale University and then earned a law degree from Harvard University. While in law school, he signed up to join the U.S. Navy. He worked as a Judge Advocate General officer and would eventually become a legal adviser for the SEAL team.

In his memoir issued prior to his presidential run, DeSantis briefly touched on his time in the military where he was critical that the “burden of the post 9/11 operations fell on such a small segment of our population” and included criticism of President George H.W. Bush’s handling of the war with Iraq.

Rachael Bade and Connor O’Brien contributed to this report.