
Trump Talks to DeSantis About Replacing Hegseth
And about appointing Lara Trump to the Senate.

DONALD TRUMP AND RON DESANTIS have personally discussed the possibility of the Florida governor becoming the next secretary of defense amid concerns that sexual assault allegations could engulf the president-electās current nominee for the post, Pete Hegseth.
The talks, relayed by four sources briefed on them, are in their advanced stages. They underscore the fears within Trump world about Hegsethās ability to survive a Senate confirmation processādespite public posturing from Hegseth and allies that he remains committed to ending up at DoD.
āThese discussions are real. Itās serious. I canāt say itās definitely going to happen, but the governor is receptive and Trump is serious, too,ā a top Republican source familiar with the conversations told The Bulwark on condition of anonymity.
The discussions around DeSantis involve untangling several different political threads. The governor is currently handling the fallout of a separate Trump cabinet pick: Marco Rubioās nomination to be secretary of state. DeSantis is weighing whether to appoint Trumpās daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to fill Rubioās Senate seat. The possibility that the governor himself could end up at the Pentagon may factor into that decision.
āInitially, Lara Trump was not part of all of this,ā the source said. āBut thereās no way it could have been avoided.ā
The conversations between DeSantis and Trump represent a remarkable turnaround in their relationship. The two men were once close allies but became bitter rivals when DeSantis ran against Trump for president last year in the GOP primary.
But Trump has been willing to put past disputes aside. If appointed, DeSantis would join a host of Florida politicians in Trumpās cabinet, including former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Rep. Mike Waltz.
DeSantis first began talking with Trump about joining his cabinet back in June. The idea was initially brokered by Steve Witkoff, a Miami-based developer and friend of both men whom Trump has subsequently tapped to be his envoy to the Middle East.
DeSantis, whose term as governor ends in January 2027 and who cannot run again because of term limits, was most interested in becoming U.S. attorney general, but for that slot Trump wanted an appointee who had exhibited the utmost loyaltyāso he tapped Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. When Gaetz proved unconfirmable by the Senate, Trump sought Bondi to lead the Justice Department instead.
DeSantis, a Navy veteran, would face a far easier Senate confirmation than Hegseth, who has been dogged by salacious reports of drunkenness and sexual assault. While Hegsethās attorney denies the allegations, criticism of his conduct has gained steam on the right in recent days. Newsmax host Greg Kelly on Monday night called on Hegseth to quit and commentator Ann Coulter criticized Hegseth for being a āsleazy serial adulterer.ā
Hegseth, a decorated Iraq War veteran and former Fox News morning-show host, planned to discuss the allegations Wednesday in a sitdown interview with Fox News host Bret Baier.
āIām not sure what Pete is going to say, but right now he looks like a goner,ā said a Trump adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity. āTrump talking to DeSantis while this is all going on is a sure sign that Trump doesnāt think Pete is gonna make it.ā
Before news of Trumpās interest in DeSantis was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, another Trump adviser expressed doubt to The Bulwark that Trump would abandon the Hegseth confirmation fight and pick DeSantis. āI would be really surprised by this,ā the adviser said. āBut then again, itās Trump. Heās all about surprises. So who knows?ā
Earlier on Tuesday morning, Trump had expressed support for Hegseth.
āWeāre with him 100 percent,ā Trump said, according to that adviser.
But as Gaetzās star-crossed nomination showed, Trump is with his nominees until he decides itās not worth it. And heās not willing to spend too much political capital, at least not yet, on nominations that appear to be lost causes.
WHAT TRUMP LIKES ABOUT DESANTIS, according to one of the insiders briefed on the president-electās thinking, is that the governor has an uncompromising, no-nonsense approach to conservative governance. Not only is DeSantis a leader in āanti-wokeā policy that Trump wants replicated in the Pentagon, he believes the governor can help root out waste in the departmentās notoriously profligate budget.
āHe needs donāt-give-a-fuck honey badger to go in there and root out waste,ā a DeSantis confidant said. āAnd the gov is the OG honey badger.ā
But many top Trump advisers dislike DeSantis for running against the once-and-future president, and some have been frustrated behind the scenes by the governorās unwillingness, so far, to pick Lara Trump as a replacement for Rubio.
DeSantis resented being told whom to appoint and was uncomfortable with making Lara Trump, a newly minted Floridian, a senator. āShe hasnāt paid her dues in the state. If she wants to become a senator, she can run for it in two years,ā a DeSantis adviser said.
Asked if a possible Defense Department post could change some of DeSantisās thinking, the adviser added:
āWho knows whatās going to happen. This is Trumpās world. Weāre all just living in it.ā
I feel like Meatball Ron would be a massive dodged bullet here. And idgaf about Lara Trump. If MAGA voters in FL want her, fine whatever. Literally she will be no different than Marco in that spot. But Hegseth is an actual crazed ideologue who wants to turn the military on domestic enemies. Meatball is a partisan but he's not crazy. Please make this happen š
Edit: also Marc you are the Bulwarks secret weapon - well done!
It will be a quid pro quo. Desantis appoints Laura Trump as Senator. Trump nominates DeSantis as Defense Secretary. Itās a win-win for the Donald and a lose-lose for the country.