Trump picks Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defence, ex-top US spy John Ratcliffe as CIA director

US President-elect Donald Trump is in process of choosing and naming people who will be the part of his incoming team in the White House from January 2025. On Tuesday, he named military veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth as his incoming defence secretary.

“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down,” Trump said in a statement.

Trump also announced on Tuesday that he was choosing a close ally, his former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe, to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

“He will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans, while ensuring the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump said in a statement.

Earlier, it was speculated that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel, an Indian-origin former Republican House staffer, would be chosen as the CIA chief. However, Trump has declared Ratcliffe as CIA chief.

Who is John Ratcliffe?

Ratcliffe served as the US’ top spy from late May 2020 until Trump left office in January 2021.

It was the second time Trump nominated Ratcliffe for the post. He was the most junior member of the House Intelligence Committee, with just six months on the panel, when Trump first said he wanted to appoint him in July 2019.

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As the sixth director of national intelligence, Ratcliffe led the US intelligence community and served as Trump’s principal intelligence adviser during his first term.

A former member of the House of Representatives and US attorney for Texas, Ratcliffe didn’t receive support from Senate Democrats during his confirmation.

In 2020, when he was confirmed as DNI in 2020 by the Republican-majority Senate, all Democratic senators voted against his nomination, citing his lack of experience and partisanship.

With Republicans again controlling the chamber next year, Ratcliffe is expected to be easily approved this time.

Ratcliffe was recently co-chair of the Center for American Security, a think tank advocating Trump positions, and advised the former Republican president on national security policy during his 2024 campaign.

Ratcliffe has recently criticised how President Joe Biden’s administration has approached the conflict in West Asia. He also argued that the administration had not been tough enough on Iran.

During his tenure as DNI, Ratcliffe also positioned himself as a China hawk.

Who is Pete Hegseth?

Pete Hegseth, 44, is an unusual pick by Trump from a field of contenders that included Sen. Joni Ernst, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, and Democrat-turned-Republican former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

Hegseth served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has been with the cable news giant since 2014. He, most recently, worked as a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend.

In 2016, when Trump was voted to power for the first time, Hegseth was considered for the position of Veterans Affairs secretary. However, the post went to David Shulkin.

Before joining the military, Hegseth graduated from Princeton University in 2003 and earned a master of public policy degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

With inputs from agencies.