Pete Hegseth - Ballotpedia

Pete Hegseth
Basic facts
Location:	Washington, D.C.
Education:	•Princeton University (B.A., politics, 2003)[1]• John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (M.A., public policy, 2013)[2]
Website:	Official website

Pete Hegseth is the secretary of Defense, an author, a former contributor on Fox News, and a former officer of the National Guard.[3]

Donald Trump (R) announced on Nov. 12, 2024, that he had selected Hegseth as his nominee for secretary of Defense in his second presidential term.[4] This appointment required Senate confirmation. In a statement, Trump said, "Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart, and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America's enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down."[4] Following the nomination, media outlets reported on past misconduct allegations against Hegseth, which he has denied. Click here to read more about Hegseth's response to the allegations.

The Senate confirmed Hegseth as secretary of defense on January 24, 2025, in a 51-50 vote with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. Click here to read more about the confirmation process.

Hegseth was born in 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was raised in Forest Lake, Minnesota.[5] According to Hegseth he was inspired to join the military due to a family tradition from his childhood of attending the Memorial Day parade in Wanamingo, Minnesota: “I felt like someday I would serve, someday I would give back to this country. I wanted to be willing to defend and fight for the freedoms that we cherish.”[6] In 2003 Hegseth received a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University and later in 2013 a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.[7][8]

From 2002 to 2021, Hegseth served in the Army National Guard.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many During his tenure, Hegseth was deployed overseas three times serving as a security platoon at Guantanamo Bay, an infantryman in Iraq, and a counterinsurgency instructor in Afghanistan.[9] For his service he received two Bronze Stars, two Army Commendation Medals, the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, and the expert infantryman and combat infantryman badges.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many

While serving in the military, Hegseth also worked for two veteran advocacy organizations. From 2007 to 2012 he was the executive director of Vets for Freedom.[7] According to the organization's website "its stated purpose is advocacy of victory in America's ongoing War on Terrorism, and support of candidates with positions consistent with this goal."[10] Hegseth was the CEO of Concerned Veterans for America from 2012 to 2015 which according to the organization's website aims to "Shape a better American future by building engaged communities of veterans and citizens, empowered to deliver solutions to America’s pressing challenges."[7][11]

From 2016 to 2024, Hegseth was the co-host of FOX & Friends Weekend on the Fox News Channel, which he said gave "me a chance to be a part of shaping the opinion and the debates of the day.”[7][6]

Following Trump's nomination of Hegseth, CBS News Minnesota’s Adam Duxter wrote that if confirmed Hegseth “would lead the Pentagon with burgeoning conflicts on multiple fronts, including Russia's war in Ukraine, the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies, the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah, and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea.”[9]

Contents

• 1 Biography
• 2 Nomination for U.S. secretary of defense
• 3 Noteworthy events
  • 3.1 Denial of allegations of misconduct (2024)
• 4 Recent news
• 5 See also
• 6 External links
• 7 Footnotes

Biography

Hegseth received a bachelor's degree in political science in 2003, where he also participated in the Army ROTC and published a campus publication titled The Princeton Tory. Hegseth later attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he graduated in 2013 with a master's degree in public policy.[2]

Hegseth, a second lieutenant, served at Guantanamo Bay as a part of the New Jersey Army National Guard from 2004 to 2005.[12] The following year, Hegseth, now a first lieutenant, was deployed with the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division to Baghdad, Iraq, where he served as an infantry platoon leader. Toward the end of his tour, in 2006, he served as a civil-military operations officer in Samarra.[2] Hegseth returned to active duty in 2012 as a captain. He was deployed to Afghanistan with the Minnesota Army National Guard and acted as a senior counterinsurgency instructor at the Counterinsurgency Training Center in Kabul.[2]He was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge for his service overseas.[2] In 2015, Hegseth became a major and began serving in the Individual Ready Reserve.[2] [1] Hegseth rejoined the National Guard in 2019. He left active duty in 2021, and officially separated from the National Guard's Individual Ready Reserve in January 2024.[13]

From 2007 to 2010, Hegseth served as the executive director of Vets for Freedom. Vets for Freedom was a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that sought to educate Americans "about the importance of achieving success in Iraq and Afghanistan by applying first-hand knowledge to issues of American strategy and tactics on these battlefields."[14] In 2012, Hegseth became the CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, the "nation’s largest center-Right vets group," according to the National Review. He left the organization in 2015.[1][12]

In 2014, Hegseth became a regular contributor on the Fox News channel, co-hosting of "Fox & Friends Weekend" from 2017 to 2024.[2][12][15] During this time period, Hegseth also make appearances on CNN and MSNBC, wrote op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and the New York Post, and worked as a contributor for the National Review.[16]

As of 2024, Hegseth had authored four books: In the Arena (2016), American Crusade (2020), Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation (2022), and The War on Warrior: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free (2024).[2][17][18] The publisher's website described The War on Warriors, saying it "uncovers the deep roots of our dysfunction—a society that has forgotten the men who take risks, cut through red tape, and get their hands dirty. The only kind of men prepared to face the dan­gers that the Left pretends don’t exist. Unlike issues of education or taxes or crime, this problem doesn’t have a zip code solution. We can’t move away from it. We can’t avoid it. We have only one Pentagon. Either we take it back or surrender it altogether."[19]

Nomination for U.S. secretary of defense

See also: Donald Trump presidential transition, 2024-2025 and Confirmation process for Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense

Donald Trump's Cabinet (second term)
Candidate: Pete Hegseth
Position: Secretary of Defense
a	Announced:	November 12, 2024
a	Hearing:	January 14, 2025
a	Committee:	Armed Services
a	Reported:	Favorable (14-13)
a	Confirmed:	January 24, 2025
a	Vote:	51-50

Trump announced on November 12, 2024, that Hegseth would be nominated for U.S. secretary of defense in Trump's second term. Trump said of his nomination, "Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart, and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America's enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down."[20]

The Senate Armed Services Committee held a confirmation hearing for Hegseth on January 14, 2025.[21] The Senate confirmed Hegseth in a 51-50 vote on January 24, 2025, with Vice President J.D. Vance (R) casting the tie-breaking vote in favor of Hegseth's nomination. In addition to Vance, 50 Senate Republicans voted in favor of Hegseth's nomination. All 45 Democrats and both Independents who caucus with Democrats voted against his nomination, along with three Republicans: Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Click here to read more about the confirmation process.

Summary of Senate vote on Pete Hegseth's nomination for secretary of defense (January 24, 2025)
Party	Votes for	Votes against	Not voting
Democrats	0	45	0
Republicans	50	3	0
Independents	0	2	0
Vice President J.D. Vance (R)	1	0	0
Totals	51	50	0

Senate vote on Pete Hegseth's nomination for secretary of defense (January 24, 2025)
Angela Alsobrooks	Democratic	Maryland	Nay
Tammy Baldwin	Democratic	Wisconsin	Nay
Jim Banks	Republican	Indiana	Yea
John Barrasso	Republican	Wyoming	Yea
Michael F. Bennet	Democratic	Colorado	Nay
Marsha Blackburn	Republican	Tennessee	Yea
Richard Blumenthal	Democratic	Connecticut	Nay
Lisa Blunt Rochester	Democratic	Delaware	Nay
Cory Booker	Democratic	New Jersey	Nay
John Boozman	Republican	Arkansas	Yea
Katie Britt	Republican	Alabama	Yea
Ted Budd	Republican	North Carolina	Yea
Maria Cantwell	Democratic	Washington	Nay
Shelley Moore Capito	Republican	West Virginia	Yea
Bill Cassidy	Republican	Louisiana	Yea
Susan Collins	Republican	Maine	Nay
Chris Coons	Democratic	Delaware	Nay
John Cornyn	Republican	Texas	Yea
Catherine Cortez Masto	Democratic	Nevada	Nay
Tom Cotton	Republican	Arkansas	Yea
Kevin Cramer	Republican	North Dakota	Yea
Mike Crapo	Republican	Idaho	Yea
Ted Cruz	Republican	Texas	Yea
John Curtis	Republican	Utah	Yea
Steve Daines	Republican	Montana	Yea
Tammy Duckworth	Democratic	Illinois	Nay
Dick Durbin	Democratic	Illinois	Nay
Joni Ernst	Republican	Iowa	Yea
John Fetterman	Democratic	Pennsylvania	Nay
Deb Fischer	Republican	Nebraska	Yea
Ruben Gallego	Democratic	Arizona	Nay
Kirsten Gillibrand	Democratic	New York	Nay
Lindsey Graham	Republican	South Carolina	Yea
Chuck Grassley	Republican	Iowa	Yea
Bill Hagerty	Republican	Tennessee	Yea
Maggie Hassan	Democratic	New Hampshire	Nay
Josh Hawley	Republican	Missouri	Yea
Martin Heinrich	Democratic	New Mexico	Nay
John Hickenlooper	Democratic	Colorado	Nay
Mazie Hirono	Democratic	Hawaii	Nay
John Hoeven	Republican	North Dakota	Yea
Jon Husted	Republican	Ohio	Yea
Cindy Hyde-Smith	Republican	Mississippi	Yea
Ron Johnson	Republican	Wisconsin	Yea
Jim Justice	Republican	West Virginia	Yea
Tim Kaine	Democratic	Virginia	Nay
Mark Kelly	Democratic	Arizona	Nay
John Kennedy	Republican	Louisiana	Yea
Andy Kim	Democratic	New Jersey	Nay
Angus King	Independent	Maine	Nay
Amy Klobuchar	Democratic	Minnesota	Nay
James Lankford	Republican	Oklahoma	Yea
Mike Lee	Republican	Utah	Yea
Ben Ray Luján	Democratic	New Mexico	Nay
Cynthia Lummis	Republican	Wyoming	Yea
Ed Markey	Democratic	Massachusetts	Nay
Roger Marshall	Republican	Kansas	Yea
Mitch McConnell	Republican	Kentucky	Nay
David McCormick	Republican	Pennsylvania	Yea
Jeff Merkley	Democratic	Oregon	Nay
Ashley B. Moody	Republican	Florida	Yea
Jerry Moran	Republican	Kansas	Yea
Bernie Moreno	Republican	Ohio	Yea
Markwayne Mullin	Republican	Oklahoma	Yea
Lisa Murkowski	Republican	Alaska	Nay
Chris Murphy	Democratic	Connecticut	Nay
Patty Murray	Democratic	Washington	Nay
Jon Ossoff	Democratic	Georgia	Nay
Alex Padilla	Democratic	California	Nay
Rand Paul	Republican	Kentucky	Yea
Gary Peters	Democratic	Michigan	Nay
Jack Reed	Democratic	Rhode Island	Nay
Pete Ricketts	Republican	Nebraska	Yea
James E. Risch	Republican	Idaho	Yea
Jacky Rosen	Democratic	Nevada	Nay
Mike Rounds	Republican	South Dakota	Yea
Bernie Sanders	Independent	Vermont	Nay
Brian Schatz	Democratic	Hawaii	Nay
Adam Schiff	Democratic	California	Nay
Eric Schmitt	Republican	Missouri	Yea
Chuck Schumer	Democratic	New York	Nay
Rick Scott	Republican	Florida	Yea
Tim Scott	Republican	South Carolina	Yea
Jeanne Shaheen	Democratic	New Hampshire	Nay
Tim Sheehy	Republican	Montana	Yea
Elissa Slotkin	Democratic	Michigan	Nay
Tina Smith	Democratic	Minnesota	Nay
Dan Sullivan	Republican	Alaska	Yea
John Thune	Republican	South Dakota	Yea
Thom Tillis	Republican	North Carolina	Yea
Tommy Tuberville	Republican	Alabama	Yea
Chris Van Hollen	Democratic	Maryland	Nay
Mark R. Warner	Democratic	Virginia	Nay
Raphael Warnock	Democratic	Georgia	Nay
Elizabeth Warren	Democratic	Massachusetts	Nay
Peter Welch	Democratic	Vermont	Nay
Sheldon Whitehouse	Democratic	Rhode Island	Nay
Roger Wicker	Republican	Mississippi	Yea
Ron Wyden	Democratic	Oregon	Nay
Todd Young	Republican	Indiana	Yea

Noteworthy events

Denial of allegations of misconduct (2024)

See also: Noteworthy professional misconduct in American politics (2023-2024)

In December 2024, Hegseth denied allegations of past misconduct in an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal.[22] Hegseth wrote, “I have never backed down from a fight and won’t back down from this one. I am grateful President-elect Trump chose me to lead the Defense Department, and I look forward to an honest confirmation hearing with our distinguished senators—not a show trial in the press.”[22]

The opinion piece was in response to a story published in The New Yorker alleging that Hegseth was "forced to step down by both of the two nonprofit advocacy groups that he ran—Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America—in the face of serious allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct.”[23]

Previously, in November 2024, Hegseth denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in a California hotel room in 2017.[24] Hegseth said that "the matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m going to leave it."[25]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Pete Hegseth'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Pete Hegseth - Google News

See also

• Donald Trump presidential transition, 2024-2025
• Donald Trump's Cabinet, 2025
• Donald Trump potential high-level administration appointments, 2017


External links

• Pete Hegseth's website

Footnotes

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nat
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Pete Hegseth, "Bio," accessed November 20, 2024
3. ↑ Fox News, "Pete Hegseth," accessed December 16, 2016
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Truth Social, "Donald Trump on November 12, 2024," accessed December 2, 2024
5. ↑ MinnPost, "Hegseth’s baggage is heavy, but he could still be the next leader of the military," November 20, 2024
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Community Magazine, "Pete Hegseth: Fighting the War for American Values," February 4, 2019
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 LinkedIn, "Pete Hegseth," accessed December 2, 2024
8. ↑ The New Yorker, "Pete Hegseth’s Path from Campus Provocateur to Fox to the Pentagon," November 13, 2024
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 CBS News Minnesota, "Who is Pete Hegseth, Minnesotan picked to be Trump's secretary of defense?" November 14, 2024
10. ↑ Library of Congress, "Vets for Freedom (VFF)," accessed December 4, 2024
11. ↑ Concerned Veterans for America, "Home," accessed October 30, 2025
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named fox
13. ↑ Fox News, "New book 'The War on Warriors' by Pete Hegseth highlights a patriot's concerns about a 'woke' military," June 4, 2024
14. ↑ Guidestar, "IRS 990-EZ, Vets for Freedom (2011)," accessed December 16, 2016
15. ↑ USA Today, "Trump taps conservative media pundit Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary," November 12, 2024
16. ↑ Vets for Freedom, "Brief Biography," accessed November 20, 2024
17. ↑ Google Books, "American Crusade," accessed November 20, 2024
18. ↑ Google Books, "Battle for the American Mind," accessed November 20, 2024
19. ↑ Fox News, "The War on Warriors," accessed November 20, 2024
20. ↑ X, "Karoline Leavitt on November 12, 2024," accessed November 13, 2024
21. ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, "To conduct a confirmation hearing on the expected nomination of Mr. Peter B. Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense," accessed January 9, 2025
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 The Wall Street Journal, "Pete Hegseth: I’ve Faced Fire Before. I Won’t Back Down," December 4, 2024
23. ↑ The New Yorker, "Pete Hegseth’s Secret History," December 1, 2024
24. ↑ The Associated Press, "Trump’s pick to lead Defense Department was accused of sexual assault in 2017," November 15, 2024
25. ↑ Politico, "Hegseth says he was ‘completely cleared’ of sexual assault allegations after release of police report," November 21, 2024

v • eTrump Administration (second term) Overviews Donald Trump presidential transition, 2024-2025 • Donald Trump's Cabinet, 2025 • Confirmation process for Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees, 2025 • Donald Trump's executive orders and actions, 2025 • Tie-breaking votes cast by J.D. Vance in the U.S. Senate • Multistate lawsuits against the federal government during the Trump administration, 2025 • How senators voted on Trump Cabinet nominees, 2025 • Donald Trump: Vetoed legislation, 2025 • Ambassadors appointed by Donald Trump, 2025 • Special envoys by administration • Supreme Court emergency orders related to the Trump administration, 2025 • Trump White House staff, 2025 Cabinet Members not requiring Senate confirmation J.D. Vance, vice president Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff Members nominated by the Senate Marco Rubio, secretary of state Scott Bessent, secretary of the Treasury Pete Hegseth, secretary of defense Pam Bondi, attorney general Howard Lutnick, secretary of commerce Lori Chavez-DeRemer, secretary of labor Doug Burgum, secretary of the Interior Brooke Rollins, secretary of agriculture Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of health and human services Scott Turner, secretary of housing and urban development Linda McMahon, secretary of education Sean Duffy, secretary of transportation Chris Wright, secretary of energy Doug Collins, secretary of veterans affairs Kristi Noem, secretary of homeland security Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the Small Business Administration Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget John Ratcliffe, director of the Central Intelligence Agency

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