WASHINGTON —
President-elect Donald Trump is considering dropping his nominee to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, and nominating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in his place, the
Wall Street Journal and
CBS News reported on Tuesday.
Hegseth's nomination has run into trouble on Capitol Hill over allegations about his personal and professional life and Trump allies increasingly think Hegseth may not survive further scrutiny, the Journal reported. DeSantis, who lost his bid for the Republican presidential nomination to Trump, was on an earlier list of potential defense secretary candidates before Trump decided to go with Hegseth.
CBS News, citing three sources familiar with the transition, also reported Tuesday that Trump is considering selecting DeSantis as a possible replacement for Hegseth.