Pete Hegseth’s huge pay cut revealed as he looks to swap massive Fox News salary to be Trump’s Defense Secretary

Pete Hegseth is willing to take a huge pay cut for a chance to join newly elected President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.

The 44-year-old will face a good old Capitol Hill grilling on Tuesday during his first confirmation hearing to serve as defense secretary during Trump’s second term in the White House.

Financial disclosures were released on Monday, and first reported by the Washington Postrevealed that Hegseth earned $4.6 million over the past two years as an anchor at Fox News.

He also earned approximately $900,000 in speaking fees at nonprofits, political action committees (PACS), and other conservative-leaning organizations.

If he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon, which is highly likely in the Republican-controlled Congress, Hegseth will take home significantly less money.

Hegseth, if elevated to this role, will also trade his cushy job at Fox for a highly regulated and under-the-microscope position.

As of October 2024, the Secretary of Defense’s annual salary was $246,400 — a huge payout for most Americans, but pennies compared to what Hegseth has grown accustomed to seeing in his pocket.

Furthermore, since Trump announced his intention to nominate Hegseth, the father of seven has faced enormous criticism.

He quickly became one of Trump’s most controversial cabinet picks after immediately resigning from Fox when news of his impending nomination broke.

But Hegseth refused to let that stop him and will hold his first confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

Reports emerged about Hegseth’s former colleagues revealing damning accusations against him, including that he drank too much on the job.

He was also accused of inappropriate workplace conduct and sexual assault in reports that emerged amid news of his impending appointment.

And Hegseth’s own mother called him a slew of derogatory names in email correspondence when he was going through a divorce, claiming he was a “woman abuser.” But last month on Fox News she defended her son, claiming he is a changed man and that her comments were a mistake made at a time of passionate anger.

Hegseth has acknowledged paying an undisclosed sum to a woman who accused him of sexual assault at a 2017 Republican conference.

A New Yorker report found that former colleagues from two different veterans groups alleged that Hegseth mismanaged money and engaged in excessive drinking and sexism, both claims he denies.

Pete Hegseth earned $4.6 million in his last two years at Fox News, according to financial disclosures first reported by the Washington Post