WSJ: Trump Mulls Replacing Pete Hegseth With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

[Yavin4]

President-elect Donald Trump is considering Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a possible replacement for Pete Hegseth, his pick to run the Pentagon, according to people familiar with the discussions, amid Republican senators’ concerns over mounting allegations about the former Fox News host’s personal life.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/trump-mulls-replacing-pete-hegseth-with-florida-gov-ron-desantis-8f682ad2

[newdeal2]

1. Fox, Florida, and or Felon

The 3 F’s of the second Trump administration.

[Yavin4]

2. The 4th, Failure. n/t

[kerry-is-my-prez]

3. I thought he was mad at DeSantis!

[Yavin4]

12. This could be a trial balloon. n/t

[Mike Niendorff]

38. Looks exactly like that.

Seeing which way the wind is blowing, so he can max out the gasoline level.


MDN

[Maru Kitteh]

25. Keep your enemies closer?

[SCantiGOP]

61. Or maybe hire your enemies

And then fire them in a week. Problem solved.

[RandySF]

4. Vomit

[Prairie Gates]

5. LOL...I love it

What a shit show.

[jmbar2]

6. He wants a plum position for Lara Trump

Next gov?

[Yavin4]

13. Lara Trump's campaign slogan. "Vote for me or I will sing"

She'll win in a landslide.

[jmbar2]

19. And she won't back down

until she gets it.

[Hassler]

7. Ron Duh must have really lick-shined Chump's shoes

[Jack Valentino]

27. He did endorse him afterwards...

[soandso]

8. I wonder if DeSantis would want the position

If he does, you realize he'll sail through confirmation, right? He's got the military, legal and executive experience and, AFAIK, unlike Hegseth, he's not an alcoholic and serial adulterer.

[Silent Type]

9. Yeah. Can't stand the little pissant, but doubt he'll have confirmation issues.

[NYC Liberal]

10. "military, legal and executive experience, and not an alcoholic and serial adulterer"

Sad to say, that’s the best we can hope for. The policies are going to be the same no matter what. All things equal, I’d rather someone with at least some relevant experience.

[soandso]

16. Yeah, Hegseth is a train wreck

Only place he should be headed is to treatment and AA.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

75. Some type of violence against women treatment center too

[Prairie Gates]

11. DeSantis would actually be qualified for the job, unlike Trump's first choice

who is a rapist and a disgusting pig.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

17. DeSantis is merely a disgusting pig.

[Cha]

21. Lol.. True.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

47. He'll probably also try to ban women from combat too.

He’ll probably require everyone to go to church and Bible study every day in the military.

[pfitz59]

39. DeSantis is a lying Jagoff poser

who donned 'combat gear' for a photo op. He was a mere Lieutenant.

[Prairie Gates]

57. He was in the military and has run a large organization (to wit, the state of Florida)

You actually don't even have to have been in the military. I disagree vehemently with DeSantis on policy, but he's not stupid, and he's a relatively competent administrator, even if his decisions are odious.

I actually don't see what's in it for him to take the job. As I've said elsewhere, "I serve at the pleasure of..." is not a good resume builder for the top slot, which is what DeSantis has in mind down the road.

[AdamGG]

66. Governor of Secretary of Defense isnt a bad resume builder

...but being the Secretary of Defense who deployed US troops domestically may not be widely seen as a positive. The real question is if he'd have any backbone to stand up to Dump's worst desires and I doubt he would.

[jmowreader]

68. Which might be a reason Trump wouldn't name him

So far, the people he’s picking to go into his administration who might be good choices, are being slotted into jobs they would not be good at.

[In It to Win It]

24. To me, being governor seems like a cushy gig and you're the top dog as governor

why give that up to be an underling to Trump?

[soandso]

28. I think he's term limited

though has a couple of years left this term. He must be willing to move on, though, since he ran in the R primaries.

I would not want to be a politician for all of the money in the world and that goes for cabinet positions, too. DoD would be bottom of my list (I'm very anti war) but he was in the military and a JAG so he may want to do it.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

48. He is term limited in 2026.

[soandso]

35. It doesn't seem cushy to me

It looks like a big headache. Really, imagine being the governor of a state that's regularly hit by hurricanes. Non stop crises. He and other governors must enjoy the challenge of a job like that.

I also don't think DoD would be a demotion, as someone suggested. Governor and a cabinet secretary are both CEO like positions.

[allegorical oracle]

56. Hurricanes/disaster were the only times he was out and about. Spends most of his time

whining about woke, pulling his legislative puppet strings to pass idiotic laws (like book bans), deporting immigrants, and manipulating universities' curricula. If he goes to DoD, he'll be swinging way above his skill level.

[radical noodle]

41. He only has two more years as governor

and then he's out.

[In It to Win It]

43. Who knows how long he would last in Trumplandia. Turnover is pretty high

[radical noodle]

44. DeSantis will take it if offered

I doubt he'd consider trump ever dumping him. Besides, he has no morals or ethics so he'll be willing to do whatever trump wants.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

49. I don't know about that - really have not figured out what he's all about other

than being a religious fanatic. I think THAT is what rules him.

[radical noodle]

58. As a Floridian, I see him as being pure Project 2025

It has seemed to me that he has been trying to drag Florida down into the swamp (no pun intended) of far rightness since he became governor. The waste of taxpayer money for these "projects" has been astounding. He spent our money to send a plane to pick up immigrants in Texas to take them up north. Punishing Disney (and again, taxpayers) for making a statement against his "don't say gay" bill. I could go on, but you get the drift. I think the so-called Christianity is just a guise to try to look like a fanatic rather than just evil. (I may be very biased in my assessment.)

[GreatAuntK]

67. DeSantis is costly for Florida

Florida in Nov. agreed to pay $725,000 in legal fees and costs for businesses that successfully challenged part of a 2022 law that Gov. Ron DeSantis dubbed the "Stop WOKE Act."

[radical noodle]

73. And that's just the tip of the iceberg

of the taxpayer money he's spent to further his ambitions.

[rich7862]

32. true, he is just an out and out Nazi!

Santos fits the project 2025 plan. No regard or respect for humanity.

[soandso]

37. He's definitely no Nazi

He may fit 2025 stuff but he is extremely pro Israel. After October 7, he sent a jet to bring back a bunch of Florida residents from Israel so he's probably well liked with that constituency.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

46. Why oh why did this not happen in his first term?

Many of us in Florida would have been glad to see him go before he screwed up our schools and banned books, etc. At least we might be rid of him until sometime in 2026 - when his term is over. I’m sure if this happens we’ll end up with someone just as bad. We did have Rick Scott as governor before DeSantis.

[dalton99a]

14. Assistant Urinalysis Coordinator Promoted to Secretary of Defense

Heck, why not

[Solly Mack]

15. Shithole picks for a shithole government.

[C_U_L8R]

18. Only if he wears his white boots every day

[Hugin]

20. Awww....

I had Christian Ziegler on my BINGO card.

[Jack Valentino]

22. Good God! The day that Ron DeSantis is a better alternative for ANYTHING

has obviously arrived.... WTF WTF WTF


Just shoot me now....

But let me wake up tomorrow, because I am not about to surrender this fight
to the Nazis...

[In It to Win It]

23. Let him do whatever he wants. I just want to see the chaos.

[Yavin4]

26. Vance, DeSantis, Musk, and Vivek.

Like an off brand wrestling tour.

[OverBurn]

71. and watch it burn..............

[RockRaven]

29. Bad guy, yes, but it would also probably end his political career...

Hmmmm....
I dunno what to prefer.

[The Wizard]

30. He should go all the way

and name Herman Goering. Goering would be a perfect fit for the Trump cartel. Check out his history.

[The Wizard]

31. Trump will avoid the process by naming acting secretaries and other

positions like FBI director who has a ten year term in office. Can Trump fire Senate approved directors without just cause?

[LudwigPastorius]

33. I can see it now.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Boots standard for all dress uniforms!

[rich7862]

34. It is amazing!

trump had the evangelical church and the Catholic Church population voting for him and he still only won by less that one percent.

[Celerity]

52. he is sitting around 1.5% above Harris with far less than half a million total votes to count nationwide

https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/?office=P

[JI7]

36. I can't stand him but I think he is the "best" or rather

least horrible that might be picked.

[cstanleytech]

40. Followed by his firing DeSantis shortly after he takes the job probably 😂

[LetMyPeopleVote]

42. DeathSantis would be another bad choice

[LastDemocratInSC]

45. The boss is lining up his capos.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

50. DeSantis was at Gitmo and a lot of years of his military experience is

hidden. Maybe he tortured people at Gitmo.

[no_hypocrisy]

51. Well, there IS the argument for better optics.

Wife, Casey, is a cancer survivor.
Three kids.
Happily married.
No personal/marital scandals.
MAGA before it was "cool".

[bucolic_frolic]

53. The Fighting Florida White Boots

[OrlandoDem2]

54. Get him out of Florida!

[ecstatic]

55. it would doom tiny d's presidential ambitions

Bringing his racist/sexist/homophobic policies to the military won't go over well. I don't think he could win a national election today but after serving in trump's disastrous admin, he'll be toxic.

[MineralMan]

59. Tweedledum and Tweedledee...

Same same.

[kentuck]

60. He wants a legal fortress around Florida...

Where he can hide and never be prosecuted for anything he does.

[Javaman]

62. he has such a deep pool of talented people to pull from...

[tenderfoot]

63. It's all performance art

eom

[NotHardly]

64. We continue to be inundated with Clown World and it seems to be a very big bus

[thebigidea]

69. how have you not noticed that "Clown World" is a far-right meme?

I mean, literally look it up. It isn't about stuff being stupid and clownish, it's what they call LGBT stuff, anything vaguely progressive.

How sad to see it on DU.

[Emile]

65. Navy Lawyer for a SEAL Commander and

that supposedly makes him qualified to run the Pentagon. The Magic R has awesome power.

[wolfie001]

70. The Military will now switch to white booties

[Evolve Dammit]

72. "Death Sentence/ De Satan". This is just as bad.

[Scrivener7]

74. Can you just imagine if Harris HAD been elected and she made such a monumental shit show

out of her appointments?

I can just see the headlines now, replete with frequent references to "hysteria" and "disarray" and midwestern diner denizens clucking their tongues and predicting the second coming of Jesus to annihilate us all.

And, like the rest of the msm, all the WSJ has to say about it is that TSF is "mulling." As if his dementia is a warm Christmas wine.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

76. Did trump offer this job to DeathSantis in exchange for Lara Trump being appointed to replace Rubio?

Last edited Thu Dec 5, 2024, 11:12 AM - Edit history (1)

It seems that this offer may be condition on DeathSantis appointing Lara trump to replace Little Marco

Link to tweet

The discussions around DeSantis involve untangling several different political threads. The governor is currently handling the fallout of a separate Trump cabinet pick: Marco Rubio’s nomination to be secretary of state. DeSantis is weighing whether to appoint Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to fill Rubio’s Senate seat. The possibility that the governor himself could end up at the Pentagon may factor into that decision.

“Initially, Lara Trump was not part of all of this,” the source said. “But there’s no way it could have been avoided.”....

But many top Trump advisers dislike DeSantis for running against the once-and-future president, and some have been frustrated behind the scenes by the governor’s unwillingness, so far, to pick Lara Trump as a replacement for Rubio.

DeSantis resented being told whom to appoint and was uncomfortable with making Lara Trump, a newly minted Floridian, a senator. “She hasn’t paid her dues in the state. If she wants to become a senator, she can run for it in two years,” a DeSantis adviser said.

Asked if a possible Defense Department post could change some of DeSantis’s thinking, the adviser added:

“Who knows what’s going to happen. This is Trump’s world. We’re all just living in it.”