Politics

Hegseth Runs Home to His Fox ‘Friends’ to Save Job

DEFENSIVE MANEUVERS

The defense secretary spent seven years as Fox & Friends Weekend co-host.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared on Fox & Friends to defend himself after a new scandal over his use of the Signal messaging app.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to appear on Fox & Friends Tuesday morning as questions linger about his future in the role amid myriad scandals, Fox News announced. After it was revealed over the weekend that Hegseth was the creator of another Signal group chat that was used to discuss sensitive battle plans—this one including his wife and brother—the Defense secretary has again maintained he did nothing wrong. The White House has even claimed he was a “plot victim.” Yet Hegseth’s time may be running out, less than 100 days into his tenure. According to NPR, President Donald Trump has “begun the process” of finding a replacement for the former Fox News co-host, who spent seven years on Fox & Friends Weekend until being named to lead the Pentagon last November. On Monday, Hegseth berated reporters in front of his children during the White House Easter Egg Roll for reporting on his actions. “Hoaxsters—this group right here—full of hoaxsters that peddle anonymous sources from leakers with axes to grind, and then you put it all together as if it’s some news story,” he said. Three staffers close to Hegseth were purged last week, and his chief of staff reportedly moved into a different role within the Pentagon.