Some in MAGA Nation are upset that Donald Trump is considering Ron DeSantis to replace Pete Hegseth as his pick for defense secretary—both because the Florida governor once ran a primary campaign against the president-elect and also because he has so far been unwilling to make Trump’s daughter-in-law a senator.
Trump’s mulling of DeSantis comes as Hegseth, the former Fox News host who Trump controversially chose to head the Department of Defense, has faced accusations of sexual assault, infidelity, and alcohol abuse, which, paired with concerns over his level of qualification for the role, undoubtedly spells trouble for his Senate confirmation.
While Trump reportedly likes the idea of adding to his Cabinet a one-time rival whom he has often belittled and emasculated, many of the president-elect’s backers harbor bitter feelings toward DeSantis over his efforts to beat out Trump for the party’s nomination, according to The New York Times.
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Those people are discussing the prospect that Mike Waltz, the Florida congressman Trump had tapped for national security adviser, could replace Hegseth, as they believe he would face a relatively easy time earning Senate confirmation, according to the Times.
Others in the president’s camp are frustrated at DeSantis’ unwillingness to name the president-elect’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump to take over the Senate seat of secretary of state pick Marco Rubio, according to The Bulwark.
Rumors had swirled in recent weeks that Trump would try to implant his relative, who co-chairs the Republican National Committee, into the potentially vacant seat, but DeSantis has so far been unwilling to acquiesce, an unnamed adviser for the governor told The Bulwark.
“She hasn’t paid her dues in the state,” the adviser said. “If she wants to become a senator, she can run for it in two years.”
As the two men discuss the prospect of his taking over as the defense secretary nominee, though, Lara Trump’s name is coming up as a leverage point, The Bulwark reported.
Asked whether there was a chance that the Cabinet role could change DeSantis’ mind on the matter, his adviser left the door open: “Who knows what’s going to happen. This is Trump’s world. We’re all just living in it.”
In the wake of the news that DeSantis is under consideration, some Trump loyalists have hinted at their displeasure and doubled down on Hegseth.
One of Hegseth’s vocal backers, MAGA media personality and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, offered a cryptic X post early on Wednesday: “There are some rumors and news stories that just about make your heart stop. Major heart burn this morning.”
Sources told NOTUS that picking DeSantis could cause turmoil in Trumpworld.
“He wants a perch to use to run for office in 2028 because he’s out of the governorship in 2026,” a national Republican operative told the website. “I suspect if he ended up as defense secretary, it would cause a lot of people heartburn in the admin because he would bring with him a lot of staff who worked against Trump in the primary. If DeSantis becomes SecDef, you don’t just get DeSantis, you get the entire ‘Never Back Down’ operation.”
Another MAGA influencer, Gunther Eagleman, last night urged his more than a million X followers—and Republican senators—to stick with Hegseth.
“If you stand with Pete Hegseth repost this and let’s show the fake news that Americans wants him as Secretary of Defense,” he wrote in a Tuesday night post, alongside a photo of Hegseth and his family. “Every GOP Senator should vote to confirm his nomination.”
Meanwhile, Hegseth has continued his campaign to ease concerns about his character, conduct, and qualifications. On Wednesday morning, Hegseth’s mother appeared on Fox News to plead her son’s case after The New York Times earlier this week published a 2018 email in which she had accused him of mistreating women.
Hegseth claimed in a Tuesday X post that the media was out to get him, but suggested that he was still committed to heading the Department of Defense.
“I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers,” he wrote. “The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump—and me. So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth.”
The Trump transition team and DeSantis’ office did not return a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
