Donald Trump’s second-term cabinet was always going to be strange. But it’s his choice Fox and Friends homeowner Pete Hegseth The Secretary of Defense’s remarks sent shockwaves through Washington, D.C., even among Republicans and Hegseth’s colleagues on cable television.

Two Republican senators texted shortly after the news broke Tuesday night. Rolling stone Each of those who expressed dismay at Trump’s announcement doubted Hegseth’s confirmability and essential qualifications for this high-stakes job. “This doesn’t make any sense!” said someone. Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski couldn’t help but say: “WowWhen asked about Trump’s latest pick to fill the top ranks of his new administration, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) responded: “WHO?”

Republican senators weren’t the only ones stunned by this news. “WHAT. THE. TRUTH. FUCK,” a former Fox News colleague of Hegseth exclaimed Rolling stone on Tuesday.

Hegseth is a decorated Army National Guard veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, he has little management experience to qualify him for managing a huge state bureaucracy. He had previously led a small veterans group and a PAC. nepotism and mis-spending. He has no government experience and has worked for Fox since 2014. Trump praised Hegseth for spending time promoting her book. New York Times became a bestseller when he announced his candidacy.

The most important thing about Hegseth may be that Trump loves him. The president-elect rated him as someone who would lead the Veterans Administration in his first term. Instead, Hegseth emerged as an unofficial adviser to Trump’s first White House. Specifically: Hegseth was one of the best players. private lobbying Trump will grant executive amnesty to accused American war criminals; an action that would later lead to chaos and dissent inside High-ranking ranks of the military and the Pentagon.

Also worrying: Hegseth is uncomfortably close to extremist movements. By his own account Hegseth “deemed extremist” and was removed from the National Guard regiment tasked with guarding Joe Biden’s inauguration because of offensive tattoos. Hegseth claims that the problematic ink in question is the giant Jerusalem cross embroidered on his sternum, which he says is “just a Christian symbol.” But extremist analysts have also noted a bicep tattoo recently adopted by white nationalists that reads “Deus Vult” — or “God wills it” — the battle cry of medieval crusaders. (The Crusaders also used the Jerusalem cross, especially in their heraldry.)

Hegseth also appealed to Fox News viewers: look with understanding On the motivations of white nationalists marching in Charlottesville in 2017 — “those people are there for a reason,” he insisted. (Hegseth condemned their “outright racism” but said it was reasonable for them to feel their country was “slipped away.”)

The Fox News host also appeared live from the Ellipse on the morning of January 6, 2021, talking almost enthusiastically about the possibility of violence while appearing to weigh in on Trump’s Big Lie that the election was stolen. “We are in a constitutional firebox” in questionreferring to the previous day’s arrests: “Will there be strife tonight? That’s a possibility, too.” In fact, Trump’s supporters led a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that day, hoping to prevent Congress from certifying Trump’s 2020 election loss.

More recently Hegseth wrote: book About overcoming the “woke” culture in the military War Against Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free. He writes that the Pentagon has become anti-Caucasian (“they believe whites were yesterday”) and is instead “full of vaccines and even more poisonous ideologies,” promoting a “diverse group of soldiers” who he claims pose risks. “sane American” bunkmates in basic training.

Hegseth has spoken openly of cracking down on “DEI woke everything” within the military. Trump campaigned heavily to do the same by showing clips of R. Lee Ermey’s character. Full Metal Jacket Mistreating soldiers is an example of the type of behavior the military should adopt. Hegseth has also publicly said that he does not believe women should be allowed to serve in combat roles.

Hegseth was dropped as a candidate to head the Department of Veterans Affairs during Trump’s first administration, thanks to fierce opposition from mainstream veterans groups. His candidacy appears likely to face stiff opposition in Congress; That may be one reason why Trump is lobbying the Senate to give him recess appointment powers that would allow him to bypass that body’s duty to recommend and confirm nominees. John Thune, Who will replace Mitch McConnell? He suggested that as Senate Majority Leader he would be open to allowing these recess appointments.

Regardless of her viability, Trump’s nomination of Hegseth marks a return to the troll chaos and provocation that has defined his governing style. Indeed—despite immediate consternation within the party and among some of Trump’s close allies—Trump moving to appoint a longtime Fox News insider to the highest levels of the federal government would only seem out of place to those who have not done so. He did not follow his first administration.