Donald Trump continues to back Pete Hegseth to head the Pentagon despite multiple reports that the former military officer and Fox News presenter has a history of sexual aggression and excessive drinking.
“Pete is doing very well,” the US president-elect says on his Truth Social platform, in his first public comment on the matter since Hegseth began a round of visits seeking Senate support.
In his post, Trump calls Hegseth “a WINNER,” adding that “there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”
Amid reports that the Hegseth nomination is in peril, Trump seemed intent on shoring up Republican support for the 44-year-old military veteran as his pick to head a department with three million employees and a defense budget surpassing $800 billion.
Top presidential nominations require confirmation by a majority of the Senate. And according to NBC News, perhaps six Republican senators are lining up against Hegseth — enough to scupper his nomination in a chamber where Republicans hold a slim 53-47 majority.
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