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By Kenechukwu Onah
Ex-Fox News anchor, Peter Brian Hegseth, has been confirmed as the United States’ 29th Defense Secretary.
This came after a 50-50 vote by the Senate, in which the Vice President, JD Vance, cast the last vote in his favour.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAccording to Fox News live report after the Senate votes ended in deadlock, the Vice President cast his vote, which confirmed Honourable Hegseth.
“If not, on this vote the yeas are fifty and the nays are fifty. The Senate being equally divided, the Vice President votes in the affirmative and the nomination is confirmed,” Vance finalized.
Peter Brian Hegseth, who was born on 6 June 1988, is a prominent American television presenter, author, and veteran of the Army. After completing his education at Princeton University, he commenced his career as an analyst with Bear Stearns.
Hegseth served as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard from 2003 to 2014 and again from 2019 to 2021, achieving the rank of Major. During his deployment in Iraq in 2005, he was awarded the Bronze Star for his contributions in the special operations forces. In 2014, he voluntarily traveled to Afghanistan to assist in training the Afghan security forces.
After his military service, Hegseth became an influential figure in conservative and Republican circles, serving as the executive director of both Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America. Since 2014, he has been a political commentator for Fox News and held the position of weekend co-host on Fox & Friends from 2017 to 2024. In 2016, he publicly supported Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and subsequently acted as an occasional advisor to Trump.
Following Hegseth’s encouragement, Trump pardoned three soldiers accused or convicted of war crimes in 2019. Hegseth was considered to lead the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in the first Trump administration, but David Shulkin was chosen instead.
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After Trump announced his intention to nominate Hegseth as defense secretary, numerous reports surfaced about alleged sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement, and public drunkenness, which threatened his confirmation.
During his nomination hearing, Hegseth denied these claims as false. He holds strongly conservative views and has been described as a Christian nationalist.
He has written books, including “American Crusade” (2020) and “The War on Warriors” (2024).
Upon the re-election of Donald Trump in 2024, Hegseth was nominated to serve as secretary of defense in Trump’s second administration.
He was confirmed by the Senate in a 51–50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.
He will be the second-youngest person to hold this position, after Donald Rumsfeld.
