Pete Hegseth became United States Secretary of Defense following his nomination by Donald Trump after Trump assumed office as President of the United States. He was confirmed by the United States Senate with a narrow margin of 51 votes in favor to 50 against.

Pete Hegseth, whose full name is Peter Brian Hegseth, was born on June 6, 1980, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Brian Hegseth and Penny Hegseth. He has two younger brothers. He attended Forest Lake Area High School in Forest Lake, Minnesota, where he played football and basketball, graduating as class valedictorian in 1999.

In 2003, Pete Hegseth earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University. He later completed a Master’s degree in Public Policy in 2013 at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Between 2003 and 2014, Pete Hegseth served as an officer in the United States National Guard. He was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan and received two Bronze Star Medals in recognition of his military service.

Following his military career, Pete Hegseth became a prominent media figure. He joined Fox News as a political commentator in 2014 and served as a weekend co-host of Fox & Friends from 2014 to 2017, later continuing in the same role from 2017 to 2024. In parallel, he served as executive director of Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America.

Pete Hegseth has been actively involved in conservative and Republican politics since his undergraduate years at Princeton. He emerged as a vocal supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and intermittently advised Trump during his first term as President.

During Trump’s first administration, Pete Hegseth was considered for the role of Secretary of Veterans Affairs; however, David Shulkin was appointed instead. After Trump was elected again in November 2024, he announced his intention to nominate Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.

The Senate confirmation vote took place in a chamber where Republicans held 53 seats. The vote initially resulted in a 50–50 tie after Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Mitch McConnell voted against the nomination. Vice President James David Vance cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of Pete Hegseth, securing his confirmation as Secretary of Defense by a margin of 51 to 50.

Pete Hegseth has been married three times. His first marriage was to Meredith Schwarz (2004–2009). He later married Samantha Deering (2010–2017), with whom he has three children: Gunner, Boone, and Rex. In 2019, he married Jennifer Cunningham Rauchet, with whom he has one daughter, Gwendolyn. He is also the stepfather of Jennifer’s three children: Kenzie, Jackson, and Luke.

Pete Hegseth is the biological father of four children and the stepfather of three, making him the father figure to a total of seven children.

Political Party: Republican Party

Source: Biyografiler.com