Pete Hegseth Bio
Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is an American government official, author, and former television personality who has served as the 29th United States Secretary of Defense since 2025. A Republican and a military veteran, he is a former co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend on Fox News and a former executive with leading veterans’ organizations. Confirmed by the United States Senate with a tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President JD Vance, he is the second-youngest person to lead the Department of Defense after Donald Rumsfeld.
Early Life and Background
Peter Brian Hegseth was born on June 6, 1980, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in nearby Forest Lake. He is of Norwegian descent and is the first child of Brian Hegseth and Penelope “Penny” (Haugen) Hegseth. His father spent his career as a high school basketball coach in Minnesota before retiring in 2019, while his mother has worked as an executive business coach and has been active in Republican women’s leadership programs in the state. The family background shaped his early years and later influenced his public advocacy for veterans and conservative causes.
Hegseth graduated from Forest Lake Area High School in 1999 as class valedictorian. He was a multi-sport athlete, playing on the football team and starring as a point guard on the basketball team, where he set school records for career and single-season three-point shots, as well as single-season three-point shooting percentage. He was named all-conference twice and earned all-state honors as a senior.
After high school, Hegseth enrolled at Princeton University, where he majored in politics and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree. At Princeton he was publisher and editor-in-chief of The Princeton Tory, the campus conservative student newspaper, positions through which he gained early experience in political commentary and conservative media.
Path to US Politics
Hegseth entered public life through military service shortly after college. Months before the September 11 attacks, he had joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, and in 2003 he was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Minnesota Army National Guard. He served at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, an experience that redirected his career toward veterans’ advocacy.
After leaving active service, Hegseth became executive director of Vets For Freedom and later held a leadership position at Concerned Veterans for America. He endorsed Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas and ultimately backed Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential bid. By 2014, he had joined Fox News as a contributor, and from 2017 to 2024, he served as co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, building a national profile that positioned him for a senior administration role.
Pete Hegseth Career
Early Career (2003–2013)
Following his commission in 2003, Hegseth served in the Army National Guard, including tours at Guantanamo Bay and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he earned multiple combat-related decorations. After leaving active duty, he transitioned into advocacy, serving as executive director of Vets For Freedom and later as a leader at Concerned Veterans for America, organizations that pressed for expanded military operations and veterans’ policy reform.
He became a frequent commentator on defense and foreign policy, particularly around the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2012, he shared his views on defense, entitlement, and energy policy in interviews and public appearances, building a reputation as a young, outspoken conservative voice on national security.
Fox News Era (2014–2024)
Hegseth joined Fox News in 2014 as a contributor, recruited by network executive Roger Ailes, and briefly hosted a program on TheBlaze in 2016. After Ailes’s resignation, he became a regular presence on Fox & Friends Weekend and was named an official co-host in January 2017, a role he held until 2024. On air, he frequently interviewed President Donald Trump, and reporting later indicated that his commentary helped shape White House decisions, including the 2018–2019 government shutdown standoff over border wall funding.
Hegseth also hosted additional programming, including All-American New Year in 2018 with Lisa Kennedy, and on the streaming service Fox Nation he hosted The Miseducation of America (2022–2023), Battle in the Holy Land (2019–2023), and The Life of Jesus (2022–2023). His television career was occasionally marked by controversy, including a 2015 incident in which he threw an axe during a public event and injured a West Point drummer, an injury lawsuit that was resolved in 2019.
Secretary of Defense Era (2025–Present)
On November 12, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Hegseth to serve as Secretary of Defense following the withdrawal of Senator Tom Cotton. During his confirmation process, he faced allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement, and excessive drinking. The Senate ultimately confirmed him later that month, with Vice President JD Vance casting the decisive tie-breaking vote, only the second time in U.S. history that a vice president has broken a tie on a Cabinet confirmation.
Since taking office, Hegseth has overseen significant changes at the Department of Defense. He revoked the security clearance of former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley and ordered an inspector general inquiry, renamed Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, fired top military lawyers, and pushed budget and personnel cuts aimed at refocusing the military on homeland defense and deterring China. He has also directed major restructurings, proposed merging regional combatant commands, and in 2026 announced joint U.S.-Israeli operations against Iran under Operation Epic Fury, where he confirmed that a U.S. Navy submarine sank an Iranian frigate, the first such torpedo kill since World War II.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of Hegseth’s most consequential moments as Secretary of Defense came in 2025 amid leaked internal communications and a series of military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea. Reporting later alleged that he had ordered the killing of survivors from a September 2, 2025, strike, prompting bipartisan criticism and calls for congressional oversight. Separately, he has drawn attention for high-profile actions including proposed cuts to Scouting America, a controversial new Pentagon press policy rejected by most major news organizations, and a 2026 declaration of Anthropic as a supply chain risk in a dispute over artificial intelligence use.
Pete Hegseth Family
Family Background
Hegseth was raised in Forest Lake, Minnesota, as the first child of Brian Hegseth, a longtime Minnesota high school basketball coach, and Penelope “Penny” (Haugen) Hegseth, an executive business coach active in Republican women’s leadership programs. He is of Norwegian descent, a heritage that has been a recurring element of his public identity.
Personal Life
Hegseth married Meredith Schwarz in 2004; the couple divorced in 2009. He married Samantha Deering in 2010, with whom he has three children, and the couple divorced in 2017. In 2019, he married Jennifer Rauchet, a producer on Fox & Friends, at Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck in New Jersey. The family lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where they attend Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, a church in the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches.
Pete Hegseth Awards and Military Decorations
Hegseth’s military service in Iraq and Afghanistan earned him several decorations, including two Bronze Star Medals, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Expert Infantryman Badge. As an Expert Infantryman Badge recipient, he is also a de facto holder of the Master Combat Infantryman Badge.