With both multiple outlets reporting that Donald Trump is in serious talks with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to step in and become the replacement candidate for secretary of defense should Fox News personality Pete Hegseth be pushed aside, the New York Times is reporting that the Florida Republican is not a shoo-in for the spot.
Late Tuesday both the Wall Street Journal and the Bulwark reported that the president-elect is unhappy with the reports coming out on Hegseth's reported drinking and drunken behavior reports and broached the possibility to DeSantis about joining his Cabinet.
According to the Journal, "DeSantis, who served as a Navy lawyer in Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, was on an earlier list of potential defense-secretary candidates that transition officials presented to the president. Trump ultimately went with Hegseth. But as Hegseth’s nomination has faltered, that list has been revived and DeSantis is again among the choices Trump is considering, the people said."
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Early Wednesday morning, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan reported that the DeSantis option may hit a speed bump because a "vast" number of Trump insiders still hold a grudge against the Florida governor for his previous attacks on the president-elect when he opposed him for the GOP presidential nomination.
The Times is reporting, ".... the number of people in Mr. Trump’s world who dislike and distrust Mr. DeSantis — and bitterly recall the campaign he ran against the president-elect — is vast," adding that there are those who rather see Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), already tapped to be Trump's national security adviser, offered the job.
The report adds that, in the case of DeSantis, "While criticizing Mr. Trump in the past is not always an obstacle for his appointees, Mr. DeSantis threw aggressive jabs at Mr. Trump during the primary. They included a flip line about paying money to a porn star, which was the basis for an indictment against Mr. Trump."
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