NY Times’ Maggie Haberman: Trump is privately complaining about his own Cabinet pick

The end could be near for Donald Trump’s controversial selection of Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense, according to a top New York Times reporter.

In an interview on Wednesday, Times reporter Maggie Haberman said the likelihood of Hegseth remaining as Trump’s choice for Pentagon head is a mixed bag at this point. And the president-elect isn’t thrilled with the negative headlines, she added.

“Trump has been complaining privately to people that he feels like Hegseth should have been more upfront with him, that he gave him opportunities – I don't know whether that's true – but that's what Trump is saying,” Haberman told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “We also know some of these things didn't come up in a vet that the Trump folks say that they did of Hegseth.”

The comments come as Hegseth’s road to confirmation grows increasingly murky, which the Times reporter said Wednesday has become apparent even to those close to Trump.

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“There are some people who are more optimistic than others,” Haberman told Collins. “Most people in Trump's orbit do not think that this is looking like a likely prospect that Pete Hegseth survives just because if you look at this litany of things that he is talking about number one, these stories have been hanging out for a number of days.”

Haberman, who has covered Trump extensively, noted that Hegseth's mother was clearly “speaking to the audience of one” when she appeared on Fox News to defend her son on Wednesday.

“She began that interview directing her remarks to Trump and so she knew what she was supposed to say,” Haberman said. “Will it be enough? I don't know, most people around Trump are pretty skeptical and once he starts talking about possible replacements, it's hard to see why senators – who are already skeptical – would be like, ‘Okay, now I’m going to go along with this.’”

Watch the clip below or at this link.