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The nomination of a Fox News host by President-elect Donald Trump to be Secretary of Defense caused social media to blow up over the “utterly unserious” cabinet pick.
On Tuesday (November 12), President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement to Fox News announcing his pick for the position of Secretary of Defense – and it was one of their own hosts, Pete Hegseth. “I am honored to announce that I have nominated Pete Hegseth to serve in my Cabinet as The Secretary of Defense. Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” the statement by Trump read.
Hegseth has been a fixture at Fox News, but before that, he was a military veteran who was commissioned in the Army National Guard after graduating from Princeton University in 2003. He would serve overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay. The Fox News & Friends Weekend co-host was also the head of the Concerned Veterans for America group backed by the conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch. Hegseth also mounted an unsuccessful bid for the Senate in 2012. He also has written several books for the network’s imprint, including “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.” which Trump lauded in his statement by writing of its “nine weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list, including two weeks at NUMBER ONE.”
The 44-year-old also has his share of controversy. Hegseth has advocated for the military to be more lethal and openly questioned women being in the armed forces. “Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, means casualties are worse,” Hegseth said while appearing on The Shawn Ryan Show podcast for promotion of his new book. He also openly called for Trump to pardon service members accused of war crimes in 2019.
The news of Hegseth’s nomination was met with derision on social media by many. “Wow. Trump picking Pete Hegseth is the most hilariously predictably stupid thing,” former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “An utterly unserious pick. A middle finger to everyone who currently serves in the U.S. Armed Services,” said former Tea Party proponent Joe Walsh. Democratic Congressman Pat Ryan wrote, “Our troops deserve better.”
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Longtime television personality Geraldo Rivera announced that he was no longer with Fox News, shortly after his dismissal from one of its shows.
The veteran journalist and reporter made the announcement through social media on Thursday (June 29th). In the video filmed from onboard a boat off of Jones Beach in Long Island, New York, Rivera began, “I’m not going to be on The Five. I’ve been fired from The Five.” He continued, “and as a result of that, I quit Fox,” saying he would elaborate more on Fox & Friends the next morning.
The network issued a statement after Rivera’s social media post later in the evening, saying: “We reached an amicable conclusion with Geraldo over the past few weeks and look forward to celebrating him on Fox & Friends Friday morning which will be his last appearance on the network.” Rivera has been with Fox News since 2001, primarily as a correspondent-at-large.
In his farewell on Fox & Friends on Friday (June 30th), the hosts wore fake mustaches as they played a 10-minute video honoring his time at Fox News. “I’m deeply touched, I’m honored, I love Fox, I love the people at Fox, I always will,” Rivera said afterward. “I’ll never let anyone separate us, but I am beyond grateful for this. This is so deeply affecting, I love you for it, thank you.” Rivera also took time to blast the Supreme Court for its decision to strike down affirmative action, praising those policies as the reason for his rise as a journalist.
Rivera’s departure comes as news has broken about the growing conflict between him and another of the network’s stars, Greg Gutfeld. Rivera had gone on record as saying that he had decided to leave “because there was “a growing tension that goes beyond editorial differences and personal annoyances and gripes.” A Daily Beast article revealed that Rivera has called Gutfeld an “insulting punk” and threatened to “kick him in the ass”.
One major bone of contention between the two came as Gutfeld condemned Rivera for his rebuke of former Fox News star Tucker Carlson after his firing, calling the host’s conspiracy theories concerning the January 6th insurrection “bulls—t”. The two even got into a shouting match on air during a segment on The Five a few weeks prior to Rivera’s announcement.
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