Fox News host Pete Hegseth, a Christian Nationalist with extreme views on Muslims and the U.S. military, was nominated by President-Elect Donald Trump for Secretary of Defense in November 2024. Prior to the nomination, Hegseth made bigoted remarks about the Muslim community in his books and on Fox News that testify to his profound belief in the white nationalist “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, and he regularly likens the “struggle” with Muslims to the Crusades of the 11th century. Further demonstrating his adherence to a Christian Nationalist worldview are his numerous tattoos that signal beliefs in armed struggle against Muslims, for which he was removed from attending Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. He is an integral part of the Trump administration’s attempts to purge the Department of Defence of disloyal officers, including generals, and has advocated for removing “DEI” and “woke” individuals from their positions in the military. As a lobbyist for Concerned Veterans for America, he has campaigned to privatize Veterans Affairs and pardon convicted war criminals. While the Christian Nationalist Hegseth preaches “traditional family values” to his audience, including reducing the number of divorces in the country, he himself has been through two divorces allegedly due to extramarital affairs, including one with a Fox News employee that resulted in a child. He is also subject to sexual assault allegations by a female colleague at a conservative group the two were associated with.
via globalextremism: Pete Hegseth: An Anti-Muslim, Christian Nationalist “Crusader” in the Pentagon?