Donald Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and former National Guard officer, as his Secretary of Defense has sparked controversy within military circles, with one commentator describing him as “the least qualified SecDef nominee in the American History’.

Hegseth’s selection was announced by Trump in a social media post on Tuesday evening. The President-elect said, “Pete spent his life as a warrior for the troops and for the country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First.”

During his first term, Trump had an often tempestuous relationship with the two defense secretaries he appointed, Jim Mattis and Mark Esper, both of whom became highly critical of their former boss after leaving office. In a conversation with podcaster Joe Rogan in October, Trump said his biggest mistake in the White House was appointing “bad people,” including “neocons,” to serve under him.

Hegseth served in the Minnesota National Guard, during which he spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan and regularly appeared on Fox News to discuss military matters. Earlier this year he published his book, The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.

Newsweek contacted Pete Hegseth, via Fox News’ press office, and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign for comment via email after regular business hours on Wednesday.

Commenting on Hegseth’s appointment to effective and ferocious media, culture and political fighter for MAGA And beyond, loyal to and trusted by Trump.

“I thought Trump would probably pick him to be chief of staff or press secretary. But this…

“Hegseth is undoubtedly the least qualified SecDef nominee in American history. And the most overtly political. Brace yourself, America.”

In a statement, Paul Eaton, president of VoteVets, a group that aims to support veterans and fight “for progressive values,” said: “Pete Hegseth is completely unfit to lead the Department of Defense and hold the lives of our troops in his hands. Point. Nothing more needs to be said.”

According to Politico, when asked about their reaction to Hegseth’s appointment, a defense industry lobbyist said, “who is this guy?” adding that they were hoping for “someone who actually has an extensive background in defense.”

Hegseth’s appointment also drew criticism on the r/Military Reddit page, which has 486,000 followers, with one commenter writing: “This is beyond stupid. But honestly I can’t stop laughing. Like this was a TV show , people would say, f*** This is too made up.

“The greatest military machine in human history under the thumb of a TV presenter…”

Another user wrote: “Is this a joke lmao (Laugh My A** Off)? I mean I knew it was going to be sycophantic but this is next level.”

However, Hegseth’s appointment was welcomed by other commentators on social media.

In a post on

Political commentator Justin Hart wrote: “I’ve been on FoxNews with Pete Hegseth before. He’s smart and super engaging. This is a shocking choice that no one had on their Defense bingo card!”

On Tuesday, Trump also announced that his second administration will include a Department of Government Efficiency, led by businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.