What 'Top Gun' Gov. Ron DeSantis would target first in the military if he replaces Pete Hegseth... as surprise Democrat offers their support

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to instrumentality connected the 'woke' subject during his failed 2024 statesmanlike campaign. 

Now if helium replaces Fox News big Pete Hegseth arsenic President-elect Donald Trump's Defense Secretary prime helium would get a accidental to instrumentality those policies. 

Tuesday nighttime the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was mulling replacing Hegseth - whose information has been imperiled by sexual battle allegations and reports of problematic workplace behaviour - with DeSantis, an state turned 2024 rival. 

It would beryllium a shocking U-turn for Trump, who mostly doesn't springiness governmental foes 2nd chances. 

Trump endorsed DeSantis implicit different Republican erstwhile the Republican congressman was moving for politician successful 2018, but turned connected him - nicknaming him 'DeSanctimonious' - erstwhile the Florida politician challenged him for the White House. 

But the 2 men stock akin goals erstwhile it comes to the subject - namely stripping the Pentagon of DEI - diversity, equity and inclusion - policies. 

DeSantis has backed revoking an enforcement bid that has allowed transgender servicemembers to service openly, he's pitched ending resistance performances connected subject bases and supported a prohibition connected subject installations flying flags except the U.S. and subject flags - arsenic a mode to escaped the Pride emblem from bases.

The Florida governor's bid for Pentagon main received enactment from Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman - but with a caveat. 

'I'll see a YES connected him if helium yet admits to his boots with 4" lifts,' Fetterman posted to X. 

Fetterman was calling attraction to a conspiracy mentation astir DeSantis that sprung up during his misbegotten statesmanlike bid - that the 5-foot-11 politician was wearing hidden heels. 

DeSantis denied the complaint during a podcast inteview successful October 2023. 

'No, no, nary those are conscionable standard, disconnected the rack Lucchese,' said DeSantis, name-dropping a fashionable cowboy footwear brand. 

So acold Hegseth has denied he's reasoning astir walking distant from the Pentagon main nomination. 

And DeSantis isn't a definite replacement. 

The Journal reported that different names person been floated including Elbridge Colby, a Trump-appointed Pentagon authoritative who's an state of Vice President-elect J.D Vance, arsenic good arsenic Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, who would marque past arsenic the archetypal pistillate caput of Defense.

Additionally, Trump's incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has known atrocious humor with DeSantis aft she helped him triumph the governorship and past was formed retired of his interior ellipse of advisers. 

Wiles told a newsman astatine the Atlantic that moving for DeSantis was the 'biggest mistake' she ever made successful her vocation and she wanted him to consciousness the symptom for throwing her away. 

She did truthful with Trump's casual 2024 Republican superior win. 

Trump was truthful ascendant successful the Iowa caucuses that DeSantis fled to South Carolina successful an effort to peel enactment distant from Trump's different main challenger, erstwhile U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley, earlier announcing helium was dropping retired 2 days earlier the New Hampshire primary. 

DeSantis burned much than $160 cardinal of his donors' wealth lone to past 1 superior contest.  

The Florida politician was a Navy JAG portion astatine Harvard Law School. He aboriginal supported operations at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and was deployed to Iraq arsenic portion of the 2007 'surge' and supported the Navy SEAL ngo successful Fallujah. 

He has a Bronze Star and an Iraq Campaign Medal.