With more pressure facing Donald Trump's Department of Defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth, the president-elect could turn to a former political foe to fill the role.
What Happened: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — who ran against Trump in the Republican primary for the 2024 election — is a “Plan B” option due to concerns over Hegseth’s qualifications and past comments.
On Polymarket, a betting market for who will be Trump's Defense Secretary placed DeSantis alongside Hegseth. Here are the current favorites on the site:
- DeSantis: 28%
- Hegseth: 29%
- Joni Ernst: 15%
- Mike Waltz: 8%
The market resolves as Yes and pays out at $1 for the winning person if they are approved as the Defense Secretary by June 30, 2025.
On Wednesday, DeSantis was trading as high as 49% on the prediction market, with Hegseth falling from odds of 87% back in November.
On Polymarket, users can deposit funds using USDC (CRYPTO: USDC) via the Polygon (CRYPTO: MATIC) network. They can also deposit directly from a crypto account with Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH). Like the 2024 election markets, the odds on potential Cabinet members are becoming hot betting markets on Polymarket.
Hegseth, a former co-host of "Fox & Friends" for Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX)(NASDAQ:FOXA), is meeting with members of Congress this week to try and win over support. That may be difficult considering the scathing New Yorker report that details how two veteran organizations forced Hegseth out of leadership positions.
And Politico cited concerns over Hegseth's past comments on women and alcohol abuse, as well as a 2017 sexual assault allegation and a lack of experience in government.
Whether Trump opts to replace Hegseth to avoid embarrassment during the approval process remains to be seen.
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Why It's Important: The Senate must approve each of Trump’s Cabinet nominations. And, so far, Trump has not picked DeSantis for any key role.
The often heated rivalry between the two Florida residents was evident when the president-elect famously gave DeSantis the nickname "DeSanctimonious."
DeSantis eventually left the election race and pledged his support to Trump.
DeSantis, re-elected Florida governor in 2022, cannot run for governor of Florida in 2026. Florida has term limits on governors who serve two consecutive terms of six years or more. But, unlike some states, Florida would allow a future run as long as it is not consecutive.
DeSantis could also run for president again in the 2028 election. Being part of Trump's cabinet could improve his standing with Trump and the Republican party.
DeSantis and Trump made a truce this past summer. The Florida governor also helped fundraise for then-candidate Trump. Trump even considered him a potential vice-presidential candidate.
Should Trump pick DeSantis, and it’s approved, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez would become Florida's first female governor.
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