Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Defense Secretary is hitting some bumps in the road. With all the buzz around accusations and competing interests

Pete Hegseth, the controversial choice for Secretary of Defense by President-elect Donald Trump, is ready to go all out for the position as questions about his qualifications and past actions heat up. On Wednesday, Hegseth made it clear that he’s all in on proving he can lead the Pentagon, stating he plans to “fight like hell” to get that confirmation.

Hegseth’s nomination isn’t exactly sailing through; even some Republican senators are pushing back. This pushback is tied to some pretty serious allegations about his past, both as a Fox News host and during his time in the military. Even with the hurdles, Hegseth described his chats with senators and the Senate Armed Services Committee as fruitful, saying, “That’s what Donald Trump asked me to do—bring a war-fighting ethos back to the Pentagon.” “It’s all about that lethality, you know? Lethality, lethality, lethality.”

It looks like President-elect Trump is keeping his options open, with some chatter about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis being in the mix. With a military background as a Navy officer and a notable stint as Florida’s governor, DeSantis is apparently catching Trump’s eye, who views his potential appointment as a savvy political play. In siders say Trump is pretty excited about DeSantis, pointing out that it would make for a “big story” after their electoral showdown. Read more below