Pete Hegseth

Pete Hegseth
Born	Peter Brian Hegseth 6/6/1980
Birthplace	Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Government official, former television personality, author
Title	United States Secretary of Defense
Employer	United States Department of Defense
Known for	29th United States Secretary of Defense
Education	Princeton University (B.A.), Harvard University (M.P.P.)
Children	4
Awards	Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge

Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is an American government official, former television personality, author, and military veteran who has served as the 29th United States Secretary of Defense since January 25, 2025. Before entering government, Hegseth spent a decade as a contributor and co-host at Fox News, where he became one of the network's most recognizable conservative commentators. A commissioned officer in the Minnesota Army National Guard who deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Hegseth built his public career at the intersection of military advocacy and conservative media, leading organizations such as Vets For Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America before joining Fox News in 2014. He co-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend from 2017 to 2024 and authored several books, including American Crusade (2020) and The War on Warriors (2024). In November 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Hegseth to lead the Pentagon, a selection that proved contentious due to allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement, and excessive drinking that surfaced during his Senate confirmation process. Hegseth was confirmed by the United States Senate in January 2025, with Vice President JD Vance casting a tie-breaking vote — only the second time in American history a Cabinet nominee's confirmation required such intervention, following Betsy DeVos in 2017. At the time of his swearing-in, Hegseth was the second-youngest person to hold the office of Secretary of Defense, after Donald Rumsfeld, who first served in the role under President Gerald Ford.

Early Life

Peter Brian Hegseth was born on June 6, 1980, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up in a conservative household in the Minneapolis metropolitan area. His mother, Penelope Hegseth, would later become a subject of media attention during her son's confirmation process after an email she had written to him years earlier surfaced publicly. In the email, she described a pattern of behavior she found troubling, including his treatment of women. The email, which Penelope Hegseth later said she regretted sending, was widely reported in November 2024 after it was obtained by news outlets.

Hegseth's early life was shaped by interests in politics, religion, and athletics. He developed conservative political convictions at a young age and carried them into his academic and professional life. His upbringing in Minnesota, a state with a strong tradition of civic engagement and military service through its National Guard, influenced his later decision to pursue a military commission.

Education

Hegseth attended Princeton University, where he studied politics and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. While at Princeton, he became involved in conservative campus activism, serving as the publisher of The Princeton Tory, a right-leaning student newspaper. His time at the publication and in Princeton's political scene was later characterized by The New Yorker as the beginning of his trajectory as a "campus provocateur" who would eventually channel his combative style into media and politics.

After Princeton, Hegseth went on to earn a Master of Public Policy degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His graduate education provided a policy-oriented complement to his undergraduate focus on politics and his concurrent military service, giving him credentials that he would later draw upon in both his advocacy work and his media career.

Career

Military Service

In 2003, Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Minnesota Army National Guard. His military career included deployments to several active theaters. He served at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, guarding detainees held at the facility. He was subsequently deployed to Iraq as part of the United States military operations there, and later served in Afghanistan. During his service, Hegseth earned the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge, among other military honors. He attained the rank of Major in the Army National Guard.

Hegseth's military experience, particularly his time in Iraq, profoundly shaped his worldview and later public commentary. A March 2026 report by The New York Times traced Hegseth's "bellicose and vengeful rhetoric" as Secretary of Defense to his formative experience as a soldier in Iraq, noting that his time in combat influenced his perspective on the moral dimensions of warfare and the use of military force.

His military service also became a central element of his personal brand during his subsequent career in advocacy, media, and government, establishing him as a veteran voice in national security debates.

Veterans' Advocacy

After returning from Iraq, Hegseth transitioned into veterans' advocacy work. He served as the executive director of Vets For Freedom, a nonprofit organization that supported the Iraq War and the troop surge strategy under President George W. Bush. The organization was active in lobbying Congress and engaging in public campaigns in favor of continued American military operations in Iraq.

Hegseth later became involved with Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), a conservative veterans' advocacy group funded by the Koch political network. As the organization's leader, Hegseth advocated for reforms to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including increased privatization of veterans' healthcare services. His work at CVA raised his profile among conservative policymakers and connected him with influential political donors.

His advocacy work positioned him as a prominent conservative voice on military and veterans' affairs, and it served as a bridge between his military career and his eventual entry into media and political advising.

Fox News and Media Career

Hegseth became a contributor to Fox News in 2014, initially appearing as a commentator on military and veterans' affairs. His on-air presence, combining his combat veteran credentials with an assertive conservative perspective, led to an expanded role at the network. From 2017 to 2024, he served as a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, the weekend edition of Fox News's flagship morning program. The show provided Hegseth with a prominent platform and a direct line to a large conservative audience.

During his time at Fox News, Hegseth became known for his strong support of President Donald Trump, with whom he developed a direct relationship. He served as an informal advisor to Trump, and his on-air commentary frequently aligned with the administration's messaging on military affairs, immigration, and cultural issues. In 2019, Hegseth reportedly lobbied Trump to pardon several U.S. military members accused or convicted of war crimes, an effort that drew both praise from some veterans' circles and criticism from military law experts.

An incident during a 2018 Fox & Friends segment drew public attention when Hegseth hit a bystander with an axe during a live axe-throwing demonstration, resulting in a lawsuit against the host.

Hegseth authored several books during his media career that reflected his conservative and Christian nationalist perspectives. His books included American Crusade (2020), in which he argued for a cultural war against the political left, and The War on Warriors (2024), which criticized what he described as progressive influence on the U.S. military. These publications helped establish Hegseth within a niche of conservative thought that merged Christian faith, military identity, and opposition to what proponents term "woke" culture.

Nomination and Confirmation as Secretary of Defense

On November 12, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Hegseth as the 29th United States Secretary of Defense. The selection surprised many defense policy analysts and Washington observers, given that Hegseth's background was primarily in media and advocacy rather than in senior government or military leadership roles. Trump cited Hegseth's military service and his alignment with the administration's vision for the Department of Defense as qualifications for the position.

The nomination quickly became one of the most contentious of Trump's Cabinet selections. During the confirmation process, multiple allegations against Hegseth became public. A 2017 sexual assault allegation surfaced, with reporting by The Washington Post detailing a police report filed in Monterey, California, in which a woman accused Hegseth of assaulting her at a hotel. Hegseth denied the allegation and stated the encounter was consensual. It was later reported that a financial settlement had been reached with the accuser.

Additional reporting raised concerns about Hegseth's personal conduct, including allegations of excessive alcohol consumption and financial mismanagement during his tenure leading veterans' organizations. The email from his mother, Penelope Hegseth, in which she had admonished him for his treatment of women, added to the scrutiny surrounding his nomination.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Armed Services, held days before Trump's second inauguration, Hegseth faced questioning on these allegations as well as on his qualifications and policy positions. Despite the controversies, the Republican-controlled Senate advanced his nomination. The final confirmation vote was evenly split, requiring Vice President JD Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote in Hegseth's favor. This marked only the second time in U.S. history that a vice president was required to break a tie on a Cabinet confirmation, the first being the 2017 confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, also during a Trump administration.

Hegseth was sworn in as Secretary of Defense on January 25, 2025, succeeding Lloyd Austin. His deputy secretary is Steve Feinberg.

Tenure as Secretary of Defense

Hegseth's tenure as Secretary of Defense has been marked by significant controversy across multiple fronts, generating sustained media coverage and political debate.

Signal Group Chat Leak

Early in his tenure, Hegseth was involved in a controversy stemming from a leaked government group chat conducted on the encrypted messaging application Signal. The leak raised questions about the security of sensitive communications within the Department of Defense and about the propriety of using commercial messaging platforms for official government business.

Promotion of Christianity in the Military

Hegseth's promotion of Christianity within the U.S. military has drawn criticism from civil liberties organizations and some lawmakers. His earlier writings and public statements had signaled a desire to foreground Christian identity in military culture, a position that critics argued violated the principle of separation of church and state and could alienate non-Christian service members. Mother Jones had reported prior to his confirmation that Hegseth's nomination was seen by some conservative Christian activists as an opportunity to advance a "Christian crusade" within the military establishment.

War in Iran

The most consequential and controversial aspect of Hegseth's tenure has been his role in overseeing U.S. military operations in the War in Iran, conducted jointly with Israel. Hegseth's public communications about the conflict have drawn widespread scrutiny. The New York Times reported in March 2026 that Hegseth's "bellicose and vengeful rhetoric" regarding the war grew out of his experiences as a soldier in Iraq, and that he came to view "moral purpose in war as weakness."

CNN reported that the U.S. government's public messaging about the conflict, including from Hegseth and the Department of Defense, went beyond seeking public support for the war and appeared designed to generate enthusiasm, describing the approach as propagandistic. The reporting noted the use of what it characterized as "Boom Boom" style promotional videos by the government.

In March 2026, the BBC reported that questions were mounting over possible U.S. involvement in a strike on an Iranian school, with Democratic lawmakers writing to Hegseth to ask whether the United States was responsible. Hegseth stated the matter was being investigated.

Allegations of war crimes also surfaced in connection with U.S. military strikes on alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, with critics questioning the legality and rules of engagement governing such operations under Hegseth's leadership. Reports indicated that unmarked military planes were used in certain operations, raising further legal and ethical questions.

Pentagon Spending and Media Relations

In early 2026, People magazine reported that Hegseth's Department of Defense went on a $93 billion spending spree that included expenditures on items such as lobster, fruit baskets, and Japanese flutes, raising questions about fiscal management at the Pentagon under his leadership.

Hegseth's relationship with the press has also been contentious. In March 2026, The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon barred press photographers from briefings after Hegseth's staff took issue with photographs they considered "unflattering" taken during a rare press briefing.

Personal Life

Hegseth has been married multiple times. He has four children. Details of his personal relationships became a matter of public discussion during his confirmation process for Secretary of Defense, particularly after The New York Times published the contents of an email from his mother criticizing his behavior toward women.

In 2017, a woman filed a police report in Monterey, California, alleging that Hegseth had sexually assaulted her at a hotel. Hegseth denied the allegation, maintaining that any encounter was consensual. Reporting by The Washington Post later revealed that a financial settlement had been paid to the accuser, though Hegseth's representatives stated the payment was not an admission of wrongdoing.

Hegseth has been open about his Christian faith, which he has described as central to his identity and worldview. His books and public commentary have frequently incorporated religious themes, and his promotion of Christianity within the military has been a defining aspect of his tenure as Secretary of Defense.

Published Works

Hegseth has authored and co-authored several books:

• American Crusade (2020) — a book arguing for cultural conservatism and against what Hegseth characterized as left-wing ideology in American institutions.
• The War on Warriors (2024) — a critique of progressive influence on the U.S. military, published in the year of his nomination as Secretary of Defense.

His writings have been noted for their explicit fusion of conservative Christianity with military themes, a perspective that Mother Jones described as aligning with the "theobro" movement within American conservatism.

Recognition

Hegseth received several military decorations during his service in the Army National Guard, including the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge, recognizing his service in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His nomination and confirmation as Secretary of Defense made him the second-youngest person to hold the office, after Donald Rumsfeld, who first served in the position in 1975 at the age of 43 under President Gerald Ford.

The confirmation process itself was historically notable, as the tie-breaking vote by Vice President JD Vance was only the second such instance in the history of Cabinet confirmations.