In a move that continues to send shockwaves through Washington, President Donald Trump’s appointment of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense has ignited fierce debate across political and military circles. Hegseth, a 45-year-old Fox News host, author, and military veteran, is now at the center of a storm that pits questions of experience, ideology, and personal conduct against the demands of leading America’s vast military apparatus.
Geraldo Rivera, a longtime television personality and former Fox News colleague, has emerged as one of Hegseth’s most vocal supporters. Despite previously backing Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and labeling Trump a “sore loser,” Rivera told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “I’ve spoken to retired, very high-ranking officers with deep Pentagon and warfighting experience and they voiced misgivings about him running this 3 million-strong department, so I get that.” Yet Rivera stood firm in his endorsement, adding, “I know Pete Hegseth, Major Pete Hegseth, a two-time awardee of the Bronze Star. This is a combat veteran who loves other veterans, and who has a wonderful rapport with military families. I think it will be a very steep learning curve for Major Pete Hegseth but I think that if anyone can do it he can do it. He’s courageous, he’s patriotic, he’s smart, he’s well-educated, he cares deeply about it.”
Rivera’s social media posts echoed this sentiment, declaring in August 2025, “Bravo Major Pete Hegseth an inspired choice for Defense Secretary. Awarded the Bronze Star, he is a combat veteran with service in Iraq and Afghanistan and strongest in his support of our veterans. RESPECT.” He acknowledged concerns about Hegseth’s lack of experience managing a department with three million employees, but insisted, “this guy has a great heart, strong character, patriotism and courage. He will grow into this tough job.”
President Trump himself announced the nomination on August 12, 2025, describing Hegseth as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First.” But beneath this endorsement lies a complicated portrait of the man now tasked with overseeing the nation’s armed forces.
Hegseth’s personal life has been marked by turbulence. According to the Los Angeles Times, at just 45 years old, he has been married three times. His first marriage, to his high school sweetheart, lasted only four years and unraveled after he admitted to multiple extramarital affairs. Not long after, during his second marriage, Hegseth fathered a child with a Fox News producer—who would later become his third wife. He has also faced allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied, but reportedly paid off the accuser. His mother once accused him of being “an abuser of women,” a claim she later retracted during his Senate confirmation process.
Despite these controversies, the Senate’s Republican majority, swayed by Trump’s support, confirmed Hegseth’s appointment. The president’s preference for loyalty and television presence over traditional qualifications appears to have played a decisive role. Once installed, Hegseth wasted little time making his mark—often in ways that stoked further controversy.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Hegseth fired top military brass who were Black, women, or both, sparking accusations of discrimination and politicization of the Pentagon’s leadership. He restored the names of Confederate generals Bragg and Benning to Army bases, reversing previous efforts to distance the military from its Confederate past. In a move that drew outrage from LGBTQ+ advocates, he stripped the name of Harvey Milk, the assassinated gay rights leader and former Naval officer, from a Navy ship. He reportedly considered doing the same for a vessel named after Harriet Tubman, the famed abolitionist and Civil War hero.
Hegseth’s views on gender and military service have also raised alarms. He has stated publicly that women do not belong in combat roles and has expelled transgender soldiers, stripping them of pensions earned through years of service. The removal of these service members has been described by critics as both cruel and a step backward for military inclusion.
In a particularly reckless episode in March 2025, Hegseth shared classified information about an impending American airstrike in Yemen on an unsecured Signal group chat—including his wife and, inadvertently, the editor of The Atlantic. The breach raised serious questions about his judgment and grasp of national security protocols.
Yet Hegseth’s most recent actions have drawn him into the orbit of Christian nationalist leader Douglas Wilson. Earlier this month, he reposted a CNN interview with Wilson, a pastor whose views are widely described as patriarchal, misogynistic, authoritarian, and homophobic. In the interview, Wilson argued that women should serve as “chief executive of the home” and should not have the right to vote, asserting that their husbands could vote for them. He also called for outlawing gay marriage and gay sex, telling CNN’s Pamela Brown, “We know that sodomy is worse than slavery by how God responds to it.”
Wilson’s church network, centered at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, now boasts more than 100 churches on four continents, parochial schools, a college, a publishing house, and a range of media platforms. The motto—“All of Christ for All of Life”—reflects Wilson’s vision for Christian doctrine shaping every aspect of society, from government to education and culture. Hegseth and his family attended the opening of a new outpost of Wilson’s church in Washington, D.C., in July 2025, a move CNN described as “a major achievement” for Wilson’s movement.
Wilson’s books, including “Her Hand in Marriage,” “Federal Husband,” and “Reforming Marriage,” promote rigid traditional gender roles. In “Fidelity,” Wilson writes, “A man penetrates, conquers, colonizes, plants. A woman receives, surrenders, accepts.” He denounces divorce—“God hates divorce”—and rejects the idea of mutual sexual pleasure, stating, “The sexual act cannot be made into an egalitarian pleasuring party.”
Critics, such as the group Christians Against Christian Nationalism, warn that the blending of Christian nationalist rhetoric with political power is deeply dangerous. Their website notes, “Some people may conflate Christian nationalism and Christianity because they both use the symbols and language of Christianity, such as a Bible, a cross and worship songs. But Christian nationalism uses the veneer of Christianity to advance its own aims—to point to a political figure, party or ideology instead of Jesus.”
As Hegseth settles into his role, the gap between his supporters and detractors appears only to be widening. To some, he represents a patriotic veteran with the courage and heart to lead. To others, his tenure signals a dramatic and troubling shift in the Pentagon’s values, priorities, and leadership style. What’s clear is that the new Defense Secretary’s impact—both within the military and far beyond—will be felt for years to come.
