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Split image of Donald Trump and his Secretary of Defense pick Pete Hegseth© Getty

All about Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense pick Pete Hegseth: from his 3 marriages to many controversies

Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed doubts about the Fox News host's ability to lead the U.S. military

Beatriz Colon
Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
5 days ago
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Pete Hegseth is in the hot seat today as confirmation hearings begin for Donald Trump's cabinet picks.

Though several of the incoming president's cabinet picks have sparked backlash, the former Fox News host, his pick to be Secretary of Defense, is arguably his most controversial, with both Democrats and Republicans expressing their opposition to him.

He is maybe most notably controversial, simply put, over his lack of experience — he has never worked for the government aside from his military experience as a national guardsman — however, several other issues beyond his professional experience were brought up during today's hearings.

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Among them are having welcomed a child outside of his marriage, a sexual assault allegation, his misogynistic comments about women in the military, and his drinking habits.

Here's what to know about the man Trump wants to lead a department with three million employees and an $849 billion budget, and who would be in charge of the most powerful army in the world.

Photo shared by Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense pick Pete Hegseth© Instagram
Hegseth is best known as a controversial Fox News host

Hegseth has been married three times

In 2004, Hegseth married his high school sweetheart Meredith Schwarz, however they divorced five years later after he admitted to having had at least five affairs. One of the affairs was with co-worker Samantha Deering, with whom he welcomed a child while still married to his first wife, and who he married in 2010.

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Hegseth and Samantha later divorced under similar circumstances. Per the New York Times, by late 2016, he was having an affair with another colleague, this time from Fox News, executive producer Jennifer Rauchet, and in August 2017, she welcomed her first daughter with Hegseth, one month before he filed for divorce from his second wife.

He and Jennifer married on August 16, 2019.

Jennifer Rauchet (L), wife of Pete Hegseth, smiles as Hegseth, US President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC© Getty
Hegseth's wife Jennifer sitting behind him during the hearings

He has 7 children

Hegseth first became a father as a result of his affair with Samantha, and in total, the former couple welcomed three sons. 

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His daughter born out of his affair with Jennifer became his fourth child, and he is a stepfather to his wife Jennifer's three other children from a previous marriage.

Photo shared by Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense pick Pete Hegseth with his wife Jennifer Rauchet and their 7 children© Instagram
He has four children — two born out of separate affairs — of his own and three stepchildren

Hegseth's controversies

As soon as Trump announced Hegseth as his Secretary of Defense pick, several of his past controversies resurfaced. Among them was an email his mother Penelope Hegseth sent him during the ten-month divorce proceedings from his second wife. It read, in part: "You are an abuser of women — that is the ugly truth and I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around, and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth."

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Pete Hegseth, US President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC© Getty
Both Democrats and Republicans have stated he is unfit and unqualified for the role

In October 2017, a female staffer for the California Federation of Republican Women told police in Monterey, California that Hegseth had sexually assaulted her in a hotel room, while he was still married to his second wife, and two months after welcoming his daughter with his third wife. He has denied the allegations, but did admit to having sex with the woman.

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Protesters with the group CodePink demonstrate at the start of the Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC© Getty Images
Protesters during the hearings; Hegseth has been often described as a far-right Christian nationalist

Another controversy brought up during the hearings is his belief that women should not serve in the military. "I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective. Hasn't made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated," he said during an episode of the Shawn Ryan Show podcast.

He has also spoken against DEI programs, encouraged Trump to pardon three soldiers accused and/or convicted of committing war crimes, which he did, defended the January 6 insurrectionists, has made several Islamophobic claims, made anti-Asian comments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and has sparked concern over allegedly excessive and inappropriate drinking.

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