Donald Trump was "shaken" by recent reports about his pick to lead the Pentagon, the Washington Post reported.
Trump nominated former Fox and Friends co-host Pete Hegseth to be the Defense Secretary. Allegations have spilled out about the pick, with people accusing Hegseth of sexual assault and of having a drinking problem. Hegseth has denied the allegations.
Trump has largely left Hegseth to fight his own battle for winning approval of Republican Senators who will decide Hegseth's fate, but on Friday the president-elect gave his first public comment about the issue.
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On Saturday, the Post reported that Trump "is not yet personally pushing hard for his selections, limiting his exposure if they withdraw or fail to win confirmation."
Part of that might be because, as the report suggests, Trump was "shaken" by allegations of Hegseth's issues with drinking.
"President-elect Donald Trump, a lifelong teetotaler whose brother struggled with alcoholism and died at 42, was shaken by reports about a history of heavy drinking by his choice to lead the Pentagon, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth," according to the report. "Trump’s response was to encourage Hegseth, who has said he has never had a drinking problem, to fight for his job."
The Post says it interviewed more than a dozen insiders, finding that "Trump has held back on pushing hard himself."
"He hasn’t aggressively lobbied senators on Hegseth, according to Capitol Hill lawmakers and their aides. And he has hedged by discussing a backup plan with his former archrival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) — often the first sign that he is souring on someone," the report states. "Trump’s more hands-off posture could insulate him from the fallout if Hegseth withdraws or the Senate refuses to confirm him."