Trump considers former nemesis as shock replacement for scandal-plagued Secretary of Defense pick Pete Hegseth

Donald Trump is reportedly considering an eleventh-hour move to eliminate controversial Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth over friend and rival Ron DeSantis.

Former Fox News host Hegseth’s pick to lead the Defense Department is grappling with a tough confirmation after previous allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking resurfaced.

Now, the Wall Street Journal quotes several people close to the Trump camp that DeSantis — who ran against Trump in the Republican primaries before dropping out — is the choice to replace Hegseth in his Cabinet.

According to an insider, the proposal was sent to DeSantis in recent days.

DeSantis is a Navy veteran who brings many of the same conservative bona fides as Hegseth, while also being one of the most popular Republican elected officials and has remained largely scandal-free during his two terms leading the Sunshine State.

The governor, who was on the original list from which Hegseth was selected, likely also shares the values ​​of Hegseth, who has called for ridding the military of so-called “woke” policies.

Those in Trump’s inner circle believe Hegseth’s ongoing controversy — he is also facing fallout after previous comments that women should not serve in military combat roles — is hampering the nomination as he tries to win Senate support.

Trump could still turn elsewhere to replace Hegseth if the nomination fails, with those close to the president-elect saying the next 48 hours are “critical to his fate.”

The allies-turned-enemies were both seen Tuesday at the funeral of a deceased police officer in Palm Beach County.

DeSantis, who left office as governor of Florida after the 2026 election, has not yet commented on the rumors.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Trump-Vance transition team for comment.

Hegseth has been absolutely harassed by an entourage of reporters hounding him with questions as he walks through the Capitol this week to meet with lawmakers.

Trump’s pick for defense secretary is lobbying senators for confirmation when his nomination is voted on next year.

The transition team has gone full-court press to try to get the nominees confirmed – with Trump demanding recess appointments and calling up key names on Capitol Hill, while newly elected Vice President JD Vance has tried to personally convince his Senate colleagues.

After former Rep. Matt Gaetz pulled his name from the running for Trump’s attorney general last month, all eyes turned to the next most controversial choice: Hegseth.

On Tuesday, however, many were left confused when Trump’s pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, Chad Chronister, withdrew his name from consideration following MAGA outrage.

Chronister, the sheriff of Hillborough County, Florida, sparked controversy for ordering the arrest of a pastor for holding church services at the height of the COVID pandemic.

Hegseth’s points of contention include claiming that while women have a place in the military, he does not believe they belong in special operations, artillery, infantry or armor units.

The future nominee also faced repeated questions today over the past two days about a report alleging he was forced out of his leadership roles at a veterans group due to excessive drinking.

“Have you ever been drunk while traveling for work?” a reporter asked Hegseth as he walked through the Capitol on Monday.

“I’m not going to dignify that with a response,” Hegseth replied.

He also ignored other questions shouted at him about this recent reporting.

The Pentagon’s pick is facing consequences after the New Yorker claimed in a report this week that he was drunk several times “to the point that he had to be pulled from the organization’s events” while CEO of Concerned Veterans for America (CVA). ) between 2013 and 2016.

Hegseth drank too much “occasionally” at CVA events and previously admitted to “drinking too much,” a source close to him told CBS.

But they insist the report on Hegseth’s behavior is false.

“The idea that a veterans organization of combat veterans who recently left the military would drink or drink too much is not news,” the person said.

“That’s not the kind of life Pete is living right now,” they added about the character development. “He’s definitely matured a lot in the last 10 years.”

Hegseth is already a controversial choice, with many Democrats claiming they oppose his nomination due to a lack of experience and some outlandish views.

That includes saying on a podcast that he doesn’t believe women in the armed forces should serve in combat.

With Republicans regaining control of the Senate next month, it is highly likely that most of Trump’s picks will win the simple majority needed to ascend to their respective positions.

DeSantis ran against Trump for the Republican nomination in 2024 before dropping out on Jan. 21 after a lackluster finish in Iowa and endorsing the former president.

However, the Florida CEO still expressed skepticism about Trump, saying he has “too much baggage” to run as Trump’s vice president and that some Republicans will never vote for him.

On the other hand, Trump went on a scorched-earth approach to DeSantis — or “DeSanctimonius” as he dubbed him along the way — and his donors have expressed anger at the governor’s criticism.

DeSantis — who shot Trump into the stratosphere with an endorsement for governor in 2018 — requested a meeting with Trump in April in Miami in an effort to be friendly to their common enemy — Biden.

The Florida governor, widely considered the future of the Republican Party and initially the favorite to take down Trump after he was re-elected in 2022, announced in a surprise video in late January that he would suspend his campaign.

It followed mounting speculation that donors were fleeing and that his campaign was struggling to find a way to make a dent in Trump’s huge lead in the polls.

His final warning was to Republicans not to “go back to the past” and confirmed that he would support Trump, the opponent who has mocked and humiliated him over the past year.

Despite Trump being repeatedly criticized for refusing to debate in the primaries and receiving several blows from the ex-president who called him “Ron DeSanctimonious,” the governor decided to support his former rival.

Trump said during an unannounced stop at his campaign headquarters in New Hampshire that he has “officially retired” the nickname “DeSantimonious” following DeSantis’ announcement.

During the campaign, Trump called DeSantis a “traitor” for deciding to run for president in 2024 after the former president’s support helped him win the Republican nomination for governor in Florida in 2018.

“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” DeSantis said. “They see his presidency stymied by brutal resistance, and they see Democrats today using the law to attack him.”

He added: “Trump is superior to current incumbent Joe Biden. That’s clear.’

“I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will keep that pledge.”

The pledge in question is what the Republican National Committee required all candidates to sign, pledging to support the eventual nominee if they wanted to participate in their four primary debates last year. Trump never signed the pledge and refused to appear at the debates.

‘[W]We are honored to have the support of Governor Ron DeSantis and so many other former presidential candidates,” Trump’s campaign wrote in a statement.