Pete Hegseth's nomination as defense secretary falters: Trump considers DeSantis for the job

The nomination of Pete Hegseth as defense secretary is leaving Trump between a rock and a hard place, according to multiple breaking reports that Donald Trump is weighing options to replace the veteran and Fox News anchor.

According to various media outlets, including CNN, CBS News and the Wall Street Journal, Trump is considering a list of names to replace Hegseth, who has been embroiled in several sexual misconduct and employment scandals since the president-elect's decision to name him his next defense secretary was revealed.

According to Trump transition team insiders cited by the WSJ, one of the strong candidates to replace Hegseth is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who competed against Trump in the Republican primary.

While DeSantis and Trump had several contentious moments during the campaign, the relationship between the two has improved markedly since the Florida governor officially endorsed the Republican president for last November's election. Still, picking DeSantis for the Pentagon would be a surprising turnaround, especially since the president-elect had been working hard to secure the necessary endorsements for Hegseth.

However, if Trump chooses DeSantis as defense secretary he would have a candidate who, objectively, is a popular governor, recognized within the Republican Party as one of the national leaders and, moreover, shares many of Trump's and Hegseth's own views on eliminating 'woke' policies in the Army.

He would also have a nominee who would be much easier to confirm in the Senate, where there are several Republicans ready to raise doubts about Hegseth.

According to CNN, members of the Trump transition have begun to lose patience with Hegseth since being blindsided by both the 2017 sexual assault allegations and the subsequent police report.

In the wake of the scandal, Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, had asked Hegseth to reveal the details of the allegations after they became public, as well as any other hidden stories that could damage his reputation; however, Hegseth seems to not have been completely transparent and as the days have gone by several more controversial reports have surfaced, including alleged alcohol problems and a controversial email from his mother where he was accused of abusing women.

The news comes just hours after Trump and DeSantis attended a memorial service Tuesday for fallen law enforcement officers in Palm Beach County, Florida.

According to the WSJ, the idea about the potential nomination to lead the Pentagon has already been presented to Florida governor.