He was one of many candidates in the running. Here’s the full list.
Following President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Pete Hegseth as his future Secretary of Defense, Duffel Blog has confirmed the names of several other top contenders who were also considered by Trump even up to the last minute. This list is provided only for information to Department of Defense personnel, and Duffel Blog reminds its readers that it would be inappropriate for Department of Defense members to discuss their preference for the Secretary of Defense.
Note: This list has been truncated to exclude candidates discussed by the president-elect who were celebrities in the 1980s or 90s that advisors informed him would no longer be recognized by most Americans, are fictional, or were executed at Nuremberg.
Mike Pompeo: A former Army tanker who has led both the CIA and State Department, Pompeo is a lifelong Republican known for being a diehard Trump loyalist. However, his appointment was reportedly blocked by hobbyist fisherman Donald Trump Jr. and doughy fop Tucker Carlson on the grounds that the administration wants no cabinet officials so experienced that they might think they know better than President Trump.
Erik Prince: A former Navy SEAL and the former CEO of Blackwater, Prince was sufficiently close to the first Trump administration that the Department of Justice investigated him. However, Prince struggled to distinguish himself from other billionaire military contractors under consideration.
Elon Musk: Another billionaire defense contractor, Elon Musk’s multiple divorces and overpriced, impractical projects suggested he might be overqualified to lead the Department of Defense. However, the physically stunted and socially awkward Musk was expected to struggle to lead a department known for sniffing out and mercilessly hazing weakness in all its forms.
Eddie Gallagher: Former Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer, then Petty Officer First Class, then Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher shares many positions with President Trump, such as killing prisoners, intimidating witnesses, and paying lawyers, and was seen as capable of rolling back woke-ism in the military. However, Gallagher was seen as suffering from a disqualifying lack of credibility when dealing with the special forces community due to his lack of hazing and drug convictions.
Stuart Scheller: A former Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, Stuart “Not a Hothead” Scheller is known for being discharged after taking to social media to criticize his superior officers for incompetence and failing to keep faith with junior enlisted. However, Trump was reportedly concerned about Scheller’s reputation as a hothead willing to attack his leaders’ incompetence publicly. Also, following Trump’s experiences with James Mattis and John Kelly during his first term, Trump has instituted a blanket “No Marines” policy for his second administration.
Mike Flynn: A retired three-star Army general, Flynn has close ties to NATO allies such as Turkey. However, Trump’s advisors were concerned that the former Defense Intelligence Agency leader could not pass a background check to obtain a security clearance.
Jocko Willink: A highly decorated former Navy SEAL, author, and influencer, Jocko Willink is widely perceived as a strong candidate by socially moderate conservatives who receive all their analysis of the world from the podcasts of well-meaning but generally misinformed oafs. However, Willink was seen as a poor cultural fit for an administration of pasty bigoted incels who would not appreciate the mirror Willink holds up to their lives just by existing.
Hulk Hogan: Noted defense hawk and entertainer Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea has spoken at the Republican National Convention and is known for cameos and voice acting work. However, in an international environment of high tension between the U.S. and Iran, Bollea could not overcome past criticisms from Iran expert Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri that he is a “JABRONI WITH MICROMACHINE SIZED BALLS!!!”
Tiffany Trump: Trump received her Juris Doctor from Georgetown and has formerly interned for Vogue. Trump’s relatively high fitness and background as an Instagram influencer were seen as potentially decisive in a department that struggles both with national obesity and with getting its story out to the American people. However, the president-elect was reportedly concerned that his children could not be trusted to lead the U.S. military, either because they were too incompetent to do the job or because they were sufficiently competent and could not be trusted not to betray him.
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