Pete Hegseth served as a weekend cable news host before leading the Department of Defense.
Posted by Deadline: White House, Checked
- Sources
- 7 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Deadline: White HouseOct 22, 2026
Multiple sources establish that Pete Hegseth was a weekend co-host of Fox & Friends (2017 to 2024) before being sworn in as Secretary of Defense (Department of War) in January 2025. The claim's core, that he was a weekend cable news host before leading the Pentagon, is supported; the extraction faithfully reflects the passage's 'weekend cable news host' framing.
What was said
… We'll tell you about that next. Much of covering the last 10 years has felt a little bit like, if they let the Veep writers' room run with every idea that didn't make the TV show, things that are just a little bit too on the nose to be believable. And having a weekend cable news host run the Defense Department at a time of war is no exception. Washington Post has some new exclusive reporting on that front. Apparently, former cable news weekend morning host Pete Hegseth decided earlier this year that he wanted to decorate his office, and he wanted to do it with one of the priceless floor globes …
Deadline: White House · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Snopes and Miller Center/Wikipedia-type sources state Hegseth co-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend from 2017 to 2024, and LA Times reports he was co-host of the weekend edition of Fox & Friends before his nomination.[1][4][5]
Supports. The Department of War biography confirms Hegseth was sworn in as the 29th secretary of defense on Jan. 25, 2025, after the Senate confirmed him.[3][6]
Supports. AP and Daily Princetonian describe him as a Fox News host who was nominated to lead the Department of Defense, consistent with a cable news role preceding the Pentagon post.[2][7]
Context. The Independent describes him as a Fox News weekend host before becoming head of the Pentagon, reinforcing the sequence.[8]
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 5 not rated
- 1A Complete Guide to Trump's Cabinet Appointeessnopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2What to know about Pete Hegseth, Trump's defense secretary pickapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3HON Pete Hegseth - Department of Warwar.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Pete Hegseth - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Who is Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host Trump nominated ...latimes.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Begins 'Most Important ...af.mil · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7Trump selects Pete Hegseth '03 for Secretary of Defensedailyprincetonian.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 8Humiliating poll reveals how few Americans think Pete Hegseth is strong role modelindependent.co.uk · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post