Hegseth met with legislators on Capitol Hill and conducted a radio interview to deny allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking, insisting he was “not backing down one bit” and that Trump was still backing him. But the president-elect's team was looking at alternatives including Florida Gov, Ron DeSantis.
Trump himself remained quiet about Hegseth while issuing a flurry of statements on social media Wednesday about other nominees and his news coverage.
Hegseth is the latest nominee-designate to be imperiled by personal baggage after the recent withdrawal of Trump's initial pick for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, whose vulnerabilities were well-documented. But Hegseth’s past, including the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies, was not widely known.
The Trump transition team was increasingly concerned about Hegseth’s path to Senate confirmation and actively looking at potential replacements, a person familiar with the matter said. Three other people said DeSantis, who competed against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, was being discussed as an option if Hegseth’s nomination does not move forward. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations.
