President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday his intention to nominate Pete Hegseth, a former U.S. Army Major and current Fox News host, as Secretary of Defense.

“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice: our armed forces will be great again, and the United States will never back down,” Trump said in a statement.

At 44, Hegseth is a decorated veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and a graduate of Princeton University.

He will lead the Pentagon and oversee over 1.3 million active-duty soldiers.

For the past eight years, Hegseth has also been a host on the conservative network Fox News and is the author of the best-selling book In the Arena.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the appointment of billionaire Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as heads of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

In a statement, Trump explained that the Department of Government Efficiency “will provide advice and guidance from outside the government and partner with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget to drive large-scale structural reforms and create a business-focused approach to government unlike anything seen before.”

He noted that the work of this office is expected to conclude by July 4, 2026, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding.

“Together, these two outstanding Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, reduce excessive regulations, cut unnecessary spending, and restructure federal agencies,” the former president added.

Musk’s appointment to lead this office had been widely anticipated, though the announcement of businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential contender, to co-lead the office came as a surprise.

The president-elect continues to assign key roles, betting on allies and hardline figures for the most important positions in his upcoming administration, before returning to the White House on Wednesday to meet with Joe Biden.

Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American, is reportedly being considered by President-elect Donald Trump as the next U.S. Secretary of State, according to media outlets such as The New York Times and National Public Radio (NPR) last night.

However, The New York Times noted that Trump could still change his mind at the last minute, but he appeared to be leaning toward Rubio, whom he also considered as a running mate this year. Another potential candidate for Secretary of State is former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell.

The Secretary of State serves as the United States’ Foreign Minister and is typically seen as one of the most powerful officials in the U.S. government.

Rubio was elected to the Senate in 2010 and has established himself as a foreign policy hawk, particularly taking hardline positions on China and Iran. He has also been a strong critic of Cuba’s Castro regime, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega.

Senator Rubio has appeared quite close to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, whom he visited in El Salvador in March 2023. Following Bukele’s re-election in February, Rubio encouraged the Salvadoran president to lay the groundwork for prosperity in El Salvador, strengthen democratic institutions, and further curb China’s influence in the country.