President-elect Donald Trump is considering replacing Pete Hegseth, his nominee for defense secretary, with Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to multiple reports Tuesday night.
The reports come amid concerns that Hegseth might not have the votes needed in the Senate for confirmation amid a steady drip of allegations of sexual misconduct. Trump's transition team considers the next 48 hours crucial to Hegseth's nomination, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Hegseth on Wednesday is scheduled to continue meeting with key senators, including Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a combat veteran who has spoken about being sexually assaulted herself, The New York Times reported. Newsmax reached out to Trump's team and DeSantis' office seeking comment about the reports.
Hegseth's mother appeared on Fox News on Wednesday to defend her son, who faces multiple allegations that have emerged in the media about alcohol intoxication at work events, sexual misconduct, and potential financial mismanagement.
The Times also said Trump told allies that he believes Hegseth should have been more forthcoming about the problems he would face getting confirmed.
Trump and DeSantis discussed the defense secretary position on Tuesday, The Washington Post reported. Both men appeared at a ceremony in West Palm Beach, Florida, to honor three fallen sheriff's deputies.
Trump and DeSantis first discussed the DOD role over the summer, The Bulwark and the Journal reported.
Besides DeSantis, Ernst, Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., also are being discussed as potential nominees, NBC News reported. Trump already has selected Waltz to be White House national security adviser.
Trump and DeSantis, who terms out as Florida governor in 2026, haven't always enjoyed a smooth relationship. The president-elect used the nickname "DeSanctimonious" when the governor ran for the 2024 Republican Party presidential nomination.
After DeSantis dropped out of the race, he endorsed Trump, and the two men have taken steps to reconcile.
Hegseth's mother, Penelope Hegseth, appeared on "Fox & Friends" to discuss her son and a 2018 email she wrote him that was obtained by The Times in which she confronted him about mistreating women after he impregnated his current wife while still married to his second wife.
That letter followed multiple allegations, reported by The New Yorker this week, of questionable conduct around female staffers. Hegseth also was accused of sexual assault in 2017, which Hegseth told California police at the time was a consensual encounter and has denied any wrongdoing.
Hegseth is a former Fox News host and former Army National Guard major and combat veteran who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. If confirmed by the Senate, he would lead a 2 million member strong military — more than 17% of whom are women. The revelations have concerned some members of Congress.
"I would do anything for my son," Penelope Hegseth said in the TV interview.
She spoke directly to Trump in the segment, saying her son "is not that man he was seven years ago." She said she wrote the email because Hegseth and his then-wife were going through a very difficult divorce, and "it was a very emotional time."
She said she retracted the email and apologized to her son about two hours after sending it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.