44-year-old Pete Hegseth will take over the leadership of the U.S. Department of Defense. Veterans have little wealth of experience. So why did Trump choose him?
Renzo Ruf, Washington/ch media
On Election Day, Pete Hegseth did what he does best. The TV host addressed voters at a restaurant in Michigan and had a great time in front of Fox News Channel cameras.
Pete Hegseth is a long-time supporter of Donald Trump. The picture shows him visiting Trump Tower in New York in December 2016.Image: trapezoid
Now, the 44-year-old is about to take the first steps of his career. The Republican announced Tuesday that he will serve as defense secretary in Donald Trump's new cabinet.
It was a surprising choice: Hegseth had never held public office in his career. He was also unfamiliar with the political world of Washington. The Pentagon is a massive bureaucracy with 3.4 million civilian and uniformed employees and an annual budget of more than $841 billion. The president usually nominates a minister with some experience.
But Trump doesn't seem to care. Hegseth is excellent in front of the camera. With his unique hairstyle and extensive tattoos – which he loves to show off – he looks like a modern fighting machine.
Not only does Hegseth look like it, he sounds like it too. Host of the entertainment show “Fox & Friends Weekends” since 2017, he likes to talk about the softening of the military and the lack of patriotism among younger generations. He also complained that armed forces veterans were not adequately recognized. Hegseth attended elite universities such as Princeton and Harvard and served in the National Guard. He also served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Since then, Hegseth has represented a tough foreign policy without much attention to detail. He criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Of course, Hegseth has repeatedly defended Donald Trump against accusations by his political opponents in recent years.
Hegseth's mission: He should reform the Pentagon
Trump, an avid TV watcher, also noticed. In his address, the future president was effusive in his praise of Hegseth. In his latest book, the designated defense secretary shows how the political left is betraying “our warfighters.” and how the U.S. Armed Forces can regain their former effectiveness and excellence.
As a result, Hegseth is tasked with reforming the Defense Department and reversing the incremental reforms of Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon chief under Joe Biden. Trump hopes to satisfy his supporters. Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, also recently interviewed for a Pentagon job. She represents an isolationist stance. (bzbasel.ch)
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