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Trump’s most controversial secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly considers 2028 presidential bid
🇭🇷 Croatia /Elections & Politics

Trump’s most controversial secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly considers 2028 presidential bid

From Večernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Unnamed sources Ongoing story
  • NBC reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had discussed a possible 2028 presidential campaign with his wife and associates, citing two anonymous sources.
  • Hegseth called the report “100 percent untrue,” while a Pentagon spokesman said his priority was running the department.
  • Speculation intensified after Hegseth attended an Iowa state fair, although Vice President J. D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio remain the more widely discussed potential Republican contenders.

Pete Hegseth has rejected reports that he wants to run for president in 2028, after NBC cited two sources who said he and his wife had discussed a possible White House campaign with friends and associates.

Hegseth dismissed the report over the weekend. “We told NBC, but they simply lie through those anonymous ‘sources’ of theirs,” he said, adding that his only job was to “Make America great again.” The Pentagon also denied that the defense secretary was preparing to succeed Donald Trump. A spokesman said Hegseth’s priority was leading the department and called the other speculation foolish.

100 percent untrue.

— Pete HegsethHe rejected NBC’s report that he was considering a 2028 presidential campaign.

The rumors gained attention after Hegseth attended a state fair in Iowa earlier in the month. Iowa is traditionally an early stop for presidential contenders because the state usually holds one of the country’s first nomination contests.

We told NBC, but they simply lie through those anonymous ‘sources’ of theirs.

— Pete HegsethHe criticized the anonymous sourcing behind the report.

Hegseth remains one of the more controversial members of the Trump administration. Critics have accused him of an excessive purge of the military and of failing to prepare U.S. forces for emerging threats such as drones. He has also taken a leading role at the Pentagon during the war against Iran and led a campaign targeting alleged drug boats in Latin America. The article says public support for those actions stood at 31% and 34%, respectively.

No Trump administration official has publicly announced plans to seek the presidency in 2028. Speculation has focused mainly on Vice President J. D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Hegseth previously launched a short-lived 2012 campaign for the Republican nomination for a Senate seat in Minnesota, later withdrawing after the state party convention. Trump nominated him to lead the Defense Department in 2024, and he took office in early 2025.

Secretary Hegseth is not running for president, and his priority is running the Department of War. All other speculation is foolish.

— Pentagon spokesmanThe Pentagon denied that Hegseth was preparing a presidential bid.
About this summary

Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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