Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Plotting Run for White House: Report

Jon Cherry/Getty Images Former Fox News personality and all-around macho-man Pete Hegseth wants to be your next president, according to officials familiar with the self-proclaimed Secretary of War’s thinking.

Those sources, who spoke anonymously in order to be frank about the Trump Cabinet member’s ambitions, told the Washington Post that Hegseth’s trip to Iowa on Monday suggests he may very well have his sights set on the White House.

The Defense Secretary, 46, headed out to stump for GOP Rep.

Zach Nunn in the battleground state, where presidential hopefuls have historically tested their mettle.

He also stumped for Sen.

Darline Graham in the early presidential primary state of South Carolina last week.

He also showed up for congressional candidate Ed Gallrein in his successful primary run against incumbent Kentucky Rep.

Thomas Massie earlier in May.

CBS notes that it’s rare for any sitting defense secretary to head out campaigning for candidates.

The Daily Beast has contacted the Pentagon for comment on claims made by the Post’s sources.

A spokesperson for the department told the newspaper that Hegseth was visiting Iowa “in his personal capacity,” and that he’d only be using military aircraft for the trip “due to the continuous need for secure communications and responsive transportation for national security.” DOD officials have good cause to be anxious about “secure communications.” Hegseth quickly became synonymous with its polar opposite less than two months after the Senate confirmed him last year, when The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a group chat on encrypted messaging app Signal.

Signal is not generally authorized for official government communications.

That didn’t stop the Defense Secretary from using the chat to share sensitive details of military strikes against Iranian proxies in Yemen with 19 other top Trump administration members, including Vice President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.

The “Signalgate” saga represents just one of the many scandals Hegseth would have to square with voters if he’s seriously considering a run for the nation’s highest office.