On November 22nd, President Donald Trump announced his choice of Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. Mr. Hegseth’s 2 claims to fame are being a combat veteran in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay. The facility at the bay has been accused of torture on countless occasions, leading to accusations against Hegseth based on his time there. He is also a former co-host on Fox on Friends. This article will cover who Hegseth is, and what he wants for our country.
Who is Hegseth? Well, we are aware of many positive and many negative things about him. A positive is his military experience making him more aware of the average soldier’s needs. A negative, and this is the big one, the New Yorker reported recently that Mr. Hegseth raped and paid off a woman. Hegseth fervently denies these claims. As mentioned earlier, after his time in the military he became a co-host on Fox and Friends, a popular show on the channel of the same name. On the show, he was a fervent supporter of President Trump, repeating many of his talking points with honesty in his voice. Most of his Trumpist claims were widely popular among the Republican voter base. His consistent, unflinching loyalty to the Commander-In-Chief is likely why he was appointed. One concerning thing about him is that while at Princeton University, he wrote an editorial for the school newspaper describing the “homosexual lifestyle” as “wrong and immoral”. Recently, he has described openly gay soldiers as being part of a “Marxist agenda”. While there are some positives to him, this reporter finds his strange beliefs, clear homophobia, and rape accusations as reason enough to not want him. While he has suggested cutting welfare and VA benefits, this is why many veterans fear him, although more like him.
In regard to his plans for Secretary of Defense. He wants to eliminate many generals and admirals. He has also suggested budget cuts in the realm of 50 billion dollars. Although, he wants to raise the Pentagon budget, fearing China. He wants to “revive the warrior ethos and restore faith in our military.” Hegseth has fired several black and female officers, hired based on the DEI initiative. He has called it a revival of the meritocracy.
In conclusion, Hegseth is deeply flawed. He has some positives. He was recently approved and is now in one of the greatest positions of power in America. What we must ask ourselves is, will these beliefs Make America Great Again?
