President-elect Trump affirmed his support for Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth in an exclusive sit-down interview with NBC News that will air Sunday.
“It looks like Pete is doing well now,” Trump told “Meet the Press” Moderator Kristen Welker.
“I mean, people were a little bit concerned. He’s a young guy, with a tremendous track record actually,” the former president added.
His comments come after weeks of scrutiny from coworkers, lawmakers and former Pentagon officials alike. However, Trump said that Hegseth is qualified to take the reins of the country’s top security agency.
“He went to Princeton and went to Harvard. He was a good student at both. But he loves the military and I think people are starting to see it so we’ll be working on his nomination along with a lot of others,” Trump said in the interview.
He seemed confident that Hegseth would earn the votes of 51 senators to take over the Department of Defense.
Trump told Welker “a lot of senators call me up saying he’s fantastic.”
However, NBC News reported that six GOP senators are currently questioning the pick citing reports of sexual assault allegations and an alleged drinking problem as a basis for uncertainty. Trump pushed back on those claims.
“But I’ve spoken to people that know him very well and they say he does not have a drinking problem,” Trump asserted.
Despite potential hesitation from fellow Republicans, Trump persists that the former Fox News host is ethically equipped to handle the role. Vice President-elect JD Vance has also backed the effort to get Hegseth confirmed by scheduling meetings with elected officials to give the nominee one-on-one time with the Hill’s top lawmakers.
Hegseth has also said he will not back down.
