PETE Hegseth is a Fox news pundit and commentator who has authored several controversial books about US politics, including one publication which says the military has become too “woke”.
The author has been nominated to serve as the US defense secretary by President-elect Donald Trump, which has shocked politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Years of military service
Pete was born on June 6, 1980, in Minneapolis.
He was raised in the nearby city of Forest Lake and graduated at the top of his class in 1999, before earning a bachelor’s in politics from Princeton.
While at the prestigious university, he played basketball for the Tigers under coach John Thompson III.
After graduating, he joined the Minnesota National Guard and volunteered to serve in Baghdad and Samarra, Iraq.
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The military veteran’s service was commended with the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, and a second Army Commendation Medal.
Trump’s surprising choice
When he returned from Iraq, Pete became much more politically active.
He worked at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research before becoming the executive director at Vets for Freedom.
Pete then joined Fox News as a contributor, in 2014, and became an avid critic of the media and the Democratic Party.
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The Foxes and Friends co-host has since become a major voice in Republican politics and has been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump since 2016.
In November 2024, President-elect Donald Trump rocked both sides of the political aisle when he nominated Pete to serve as the Secretary of Defence.
One defense official said: “Everyone is simply shocked.”
Pete’s controversial books
Pete has written several books which have sparked controversy and ignited intense political debates.
In his 2020 book American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free, he voiced his support for Trump’s re-election and likened Republicans to Christian crusaders.
He wrote: “Our present moment is much like the 11th Century.
“We don’t want to fight, but, like our fellow Christians one thousand years ago, we must.
“Arm yourself — metaphorically, intellectually, physically.
“Our fight is not with guns. Yet.”
His 2022 publication Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation became a #1 New York Times bestseller.
On the book’s dedicated website, Pete claims that today’s youth “come out of government schools hating America”.
He adds that there is a “progressive plan to neutralize the basis of our republic”.
Pete wrote yet another book in 2024 which was entitled The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.
In The War on Warriors, he details his opinion that the military has been degraded by vaccines and “woke” ideologies.
He wrote: “At a basic level, do we really want only the woke ‘diverse’ recruits that the Biden administration is curating to be the ones with the guns and the guidons?”
“But more than that, we want those diverse recruits — pumped full of vaccines and even more poisonous ideologies — to be sharing a basic training bunk with sane Americans.”
The Fox News pundit also targeted racial and gender diversity schemes in the military.
He wrote: “For the past three years — after President Barack Obama poured the social justice foundation — the Pentagon, across all branches, has embraced the social justice message of gender equality, racial diversity, climate stupidity, and the LGBTQA+ alphabet soup in their recruiting pushes.”
Trump’s new cabinet
Pete’s books may offer a window into how he plans to run the world’s most powerful military.
His shock appointment is part of a wider move by Trump to nominate officials who are loyal to his MAGA (Make America Great Again) ideals.
The President-elect has nominated tech magnate Elon Musk to head up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
This is a new department, named after an internet meme, which hopes to gut several government departments.
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Trump has also appointed another loyalist, named Tulsi Gabbard, to head up the Department of National Intelligence despite criticism of her stance on Ukraine and Syria.
Pete is the second Fox News alumni to be nominated to Trump’s cabinet, with Sean Duffy being nominated for transportation secretary.
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