Secretary DeSantis?

With Fox News's Pete Hegseth’s prospects of being confirmed to lead the Pentagon uncertain, sources close to the incoming administration have hinted that President-elect Trump is considering his former rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis. Let’s talk about what that could mean for Florida.

As I write this on Thursday evening, Hegseth remains firmly entrenched, his heels dug in for what is sure to be a contentious confirmation process given the onslaught of troubling past incidents that raise serious questions about both his character and ability to oversee such a massive institution. 

Hegseth’s resume is already anemic, considering the gravity of the position. The Fox News weekend morning show co-host does have combat experience, having served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and earning a bronze star as an active-duty National Guard officer. However, while he has experience fighting in wars as a junior officer, he does not have experience planning wars the way other secretaries from the military, such as Jim Mattis and Lloyd Austin, have had.

Plenty of Defense Secretaries have come from outside the military ranks—William Perry, Robert Gates, Dick Cheney—or served below the top ranks—Mark Esper, Donald Rumsfeld, Chuch Hagel. However, they each brought much meatier resumes to the table. Aside from his work at Fox News, most of Hegseth’s career appears to have been spent mismanaging veteran non-profit groups. A feature article in The New Yorker magazine this week detailed a history of getting fired for drinking excessively, misbehaving, and showing little talent by way of financial oversight.

It had previously been reported that Hegseth had been accused of sexual assault in 2017 and later paid the accuser to keep quiet about the allegation. While the matter was investigated by law enforcement and no charges were filed, the accusations of Hegseth’s behavior in The New Yorker piece certainly didn’t help his credibility on that front. Hegseth, who’s in his third marriage and has a long history of infidelity, apparently likes to get really drunk in public and act inappropriately with females. There’s just not a good way to spin that.

Hegseth has also published books and done many long-form podcasts, giving dozens of controversial takes on many subjects. In American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free, Hegseth wrote that there are "irreconcilable differences between the Left and the Right in America leading to perpetual conflict that cannot be resolved through the political process," calling for an "American crusade," he described as "a holy war for the righteous cause of human freedom."

Hegseth has defended the J6 rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol, calling them patriots who had been "re-awoken to the reality of what the left has done" to the United States. Hegseth has espoused a Christian Nationalist ideology and was removed from a Guard unit detail for President Biden’s inauguration after being flagged by a fellow service member as a possible "Insider Threat" because of tattoos associated with right-wing extremists, a violation of the uniform code of military conduct. 

No matter what you think of DeSantis, he brings a far better resume to the table. He served in the Navy as a JAG officer, as a member of Congress, and as the governor of the third-most populous state in the union. He has a law degree, is familiar with the military, and has executive experience running a state and its National Guard. He’s also a close ally of Senator Marco Rubio, who Trump nominated for Secretary of State. 

Whether Trump will forgive DeSantis for challenging him in the primary remains to be seen. Chris Christie did his share of boot-licking, hoping to be Trump’s Attorney General in the first administration. However, he was left out in the cold, perhaps because, as a federal prosecutor, Christie won a conviction over Jared Kushner’s father, whom Trump pardoned and has nominated as US Ambassador to France for his incoming administration. Trump also floated the prospect of making Mitt Romney Secretary of State (remember that weird candlelight dinner?) only to yank it away, so there’s a chance that he could do the same to DeSantis. However, his nomination of Rubio shows at least some ability to forgive and forget.

If DeSantis does get tapped for the post, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez would become the state’s first female governor. The AG debacle saw us get rid of Matt Gaetz. If the gov gets the job, Trump will have rid our state of Rubio, Gaetz, DeSantis, and Pam Bondi. He may not have done much in terms of draining the swamp in Washington, D.C., but we should give him some credit for draining ours.

Dennis "Mitch" Maley is an editor and columnist for The Bradenton Times and the host of our weekly podcast. With over two decades of experience as a journalist, he has covered Manatee County government since 2010. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. Mitch is also the author of three novels, and a short story collection is available here.