President-elect Donald Trump may be considering nominating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for U.S. Secretary of Defense as an alternative to his first pick for the role, Pete Hegseth.
The Wall Street Journal reports that two people familiar with the situation spoke on the condition of anonymity. Senate confirmation of Hegseth, a former Fox News TV host, faces growing uncertainty due to allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse.
The New Yorker recently reported Hegseth was forced out of leadership positions with nonprofit organizations including Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America due to allegations of misconduct, financial mismanagement and sexual impropriety.
Trump and DeSantis traded barbs on the campaign trail earlier this year before DeSantis dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Politico reports that during his presidential campaign, DeSantis touted a plan to ban transgender people from serving in the military, eliminate diversity initiatives in the U.S. Armed Forces and to reinstate service members who refused COVID-19 vaccines.
If DeSantis is nominated and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Florida Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez would be tapped to complete DeSantis’ gubernatorial term, which ends in early 2027.
Nuñez would become the first Florida governor of Cuban descent and the Sunshine State’s first female governor.
