Well, here's a Friday evening story for you.
First, if you read my articles regularly, you know there are two things I don't like. The first is stories about the Donald Trump Administration from anonymous sources, because most of them end up being untrue. The second is speculation about 2028 elections when we haven't even gotten through 2026 yet.
This story contains both. Please forgive me.
So, we all know the most likely candidates for the Republican 2028 presidential nominee are either Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Either one would be a win for our party, I think, and as much as I love Marco, I'm fine with whomever we select.
There have been some other names tossed around, like Florida governor Ron DeSantis — I'd totally be okay with him too and love that he would bring executive experience to the table. There have been other rumors like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-Ark.), and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent — all fine people — and basically, that tells us that even our second- and third-tier candidates are decent. We have a good group of folks for the future.
But if we're to believe NBC News' anonymous sources, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth now wants to run. Here's more:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told close friends and associates that he is considering a run for president in 2028, according to two people familiar with the conversations.
Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, have floated the idea of a presidential run for the past few months, believing he has some of the same attributes that have made Donald Trump popular with the MAGA movement, the people said. Trump’s core voters appreciate Hegseth’s toughness, defiance and conservative stance on social issues, they said.
Hegseth’s appearance at the Iowa State Fair on behalf of a Republican congressman earlier this month kindled both surprise and speculation about his possible presidential ambitions.
Iowa has long been a springboard for presidential campaigns. The state’s caucuses have traditionally come first in the nominating calendar, making Iowa a magnet for presidential hopefuls.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell calls it "foolish" speculation. "Secretary Hegseth is not running for president, and his main priority is leading the War Department. All other speculation is foolish," he said in a statement.
Not that this necessarily means anything. Quite recently, when asked about his plans for 2028, Rubio said the same thing: that right now he's highly focused on running the State Department and nothing else.
But even NBC admits that Hegseth was in Iowa campaigning for Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) ahead of the November elections. It says that he's been charged with going out and rallying the base, particularly men, who respect his particular brand of masculinity. (To be fair, I have quite a few female friends who respect his particular brand of masculinity too. Just saying...)
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly also refused to confirm any speculation about a Hegseth 2028 run. "After Joe Biden’s Pentagon prioritized DEI and woke ideology, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth quickly reversed course and restored a Department of War that is focused on readiness, lethality and supporting our warfighters. Secretary Hegseth is doing an incredible job leading the Pentagon, and his results speak for themselves," she said in a statement.
NBC also says that a defense secretary has never made it to the White House. While I have no trouble with Hegseth, I don't particularly think we're going to see that happen this time around either. While voters will have the ultimate say, the job is most likely Vance's or Rubio's.
Have a great weekend, y'all!
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