Inside Hegseth’s political ambitions — and the risks threatening them

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has rarely shied away from controversy, but his latest spectacle — announcing that the convicted Fort Hood mass shooter’s execution would be livestreamed — proved a bridge too far even for President Donald Trump.

While Trump pulled the plug on the broadcast Thursday, the episode underscores the risks behind Hegseth’s increasingly provocative public persona — one that some of his closest advisers believe could carry him all the way to the White House, but which others caution could jeopardize his possible political future.

Hegseth’s push to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan by firing squad initially surprised Trump, as CNN has previously reported . Two Trump advisers described the move as an attempt by Hegseth to play into the impulses of Trump and the MAGA base. But Trump’s eventual decision to backtrack on the idea amid bipartisan backlash was also viewed by some inside the administration as a blow to Hegseth — and a warning about the combative, made-for-TV image he has cultivated at the Pentagon.

Still, Hegseth’s push to livestream a public execution overlaps with his future political ambitions, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The livestream was “pure id,” one of the sources said, noting how it comports with Hegseth’s eye for theatrics as a former TV personality who believes he knows what resonates with the American public.

Conversations with more than a dozen current and former administration officials, Trump allies, Republican operatives and people familiar with Hegseth’s political orbit reveal a defense secretary who, while never holding elected office, is taking steps that could set up a political future. He has cultivated a macho public image, empowered a small group of media-savvy advisers and tested messages that appeal to the MAGA base — even as his record at the Pentagon and his appetite for controversy threaten to narrow his path.

As he’s sought to craft his “warrior” image, Hegseth has surrounded himself with former Fox News producers and social media personalities — chief among them his wife, Jennifer Hegseth. Sources said that group wields outsized influence within the shrinking circle of advisers he still trusts.

Many of those advisers have encouraged Hegseth to consider political office — including a possible presidential run in 2028, sources said. Their argument: The two main alternatives, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, may not run and face an uncertain path to the nomination. Hegseth, they believe, should keep his options open.

“A lot of them are all in,” said one administration official who supports Hegseth’s political ambitions. Many of those closest to Hegseth are focused on his political future in part because they see elected office as one of his few viable options after the Pentagon, the source added.

His closest advisers also argue that Hegseth has the “look” of a candidate and presents a stronger image than some of the other likely contenders to replace Trump. However, some also acknowledge the criticism his overhaul of the Pentagon has sparked, and that his consistently combative attitude toward those who question his views or policies present headwinds toward winning over the electorate.

Unlike Vance, who has served as the Republican Party fundraising chair this past year, and Rubio, a 2016 presidential contender, Hegseth also lacks deep connections to the donors needed to mount a White House bid. Meanwhile, a super PAC close to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz remains active as he publicly flirts with another presidential campaign.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Some Trump allies told CNN they believe Hegseth would entertain a 2028 presidential bid only if Vance decided not to run.

Vance has the inside track to get Trump’s support — choosing a potential successor was part of the calculus in selecting the Ohio senator as a running mate in 2024 — and Hegseth would face a steep climb without the president’s backing, sources added.

NBC News first reported on Hegseth’s private discussions about a possible 2028 run in August. At the time, Hegseth called the report “100% false.”

In response to CNN’s questions for this article, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement that “Secretary Hegseth is not running for president, and his only priority is leading the War Department.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell in a statement said that Hegseth had “not once” discussed any of what CNN was reporting. “As one of Secretary Hegseth’s senior advisors, I can attest that he spends every single day working to protect the nation and give our service members everything they need to be successful,” Parnell said.

While Hegseth’s image and blunt style have obvious appeal with a MAGA base that will be looking for a future home after Trump’s presidency, his oversight of the Iran war is a significant challenge. America’s latest military campaign in the Middle East is deeply unpopular with voters, and polls show it driving down support for both Trump and Republicans in the midterms.

Hegseth’s political activity — including traveling to Iowa earlier this year to rally for a GOP House candidate — has helped fuel speculation that he could someday run for office.

His political movements are watched with increasing interest in Tennessee, where his family moved several years ago, though GOP sources there say he has not taken steps in the state yet that might suggest he harbors political ambitions there.

“We’re very proud that he is serving us,” said Scott Golden, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. “And I would just say I hope he considers running for office at some point, at some level, whatever level he wants to do.”

Phil Stewart/Reuters

Hegseth has focused much of his efforts at the Pentagon on crafting a particular public image for himself, based around the idea he is leading a charge to root out so-called “woke-ism” from the military.

At times referred to inside the Pentagon as the Secretary of Culture War , Hegseth’s priorities have included slashing the number of generals in the military, changing the Department of Defense to the “Department of War,” and even creating a screening program for “ testosterone deficiency .”

“We are no longer the woke department or the weak department. Simple translation of that? No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors,” Hegseth said at a September “State of the Force” speech. “The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in — with testosterone testing on top.”

In what is seen as an effort to manufacture the specific public image he wants, Hegseth has largely insulated himself from the press and often declines to answer questions on his decision-making. Press conferences held near the beginning of the war with Iran began on many occasions with Hegseth’s ranting against the press and reporters’ coverage of the conflict, which he found to be “incredibly unpatriotic.”

The Pentagon has also taken on a more political tone in some of its public messaging, particularly on X, where an official Defense Department Rapid Response account dedicates itself to sharing images of Hegseth and snippets of his speeches.

Several far-right social media personalities and accounts — including at least two active-duty Army officers— routinely and vigorously defend Hegseth’s decisions and attack his critics on X. (This despite strict regulations for how service members can conduct themselves online.) Several of the individuals are employed at the Pentagon and many in the building see the small group as an online army tasked with influencing public perception of Hegseth and his policies.

Hegseth has repeatedly insisted his overarching goal is to make the military more “lethal” by removing guardrails intended to prevent things like civilian casualties and by endorsing legally dubious combat operations — including some that have prompted allegations of war crimes.

Those moves have garnered criticism from officials both inside the Pentagon and elsewhere within the Trump administration. But they appear to have also helped Hegseth maintain the one relationship that matters most if he envisions some sort of political future for himself: the president.

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

While Trump has remained a steadfast defender of Hegseth, others close to the president — including some in the West Wing — are less enthusiastic, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

Hegseth has been at the center of controversies even before the execution livestream, many of which the White House has brushed off, but some have left a lingering unease among White House officials and even some other Cabinet members.

One such issue is the Signal chat scandal , in which Hegseth shared specific operational details with senior administration officials in a Signal messaging app just hours before the US military carried out strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. His messages laid out exact timelines and target surveillance prior to the March 15, 2025, operation. Unbeknownst to Hegseth and the group, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic was part of the chat.

The president’s then-national security adviser Mike Waltz took the brunt of Trump’s ire following the controversy, but many advisers thought at the time Hegseth should have faced stronger repercussions.

“These people have long memories,” one Trump adviser told CNN.

Hegseth’s eagerness to go to war with Iran and his removal of high-ranking military officials have also put him at odds with some senior advisers to the president.

In the immediate lead-up to the first bombs being dropped on Iran, Hegseth was one of the biggest cheerleaders for military intervention.

While the debate played out internally, Hegseth not only validated Trump’s idea to move forward, he downplayed the inherent risks of the conflict spiraling, CNN reported at the time — a reality that’s now come to fruition.

White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement that the White House and Pentagon “are fully aligned on ensuring justice is brought to evil traitor Nidal Malik Hasan who killed 13 innocent people.”

“Secretary Hegseth is doing a great job leading the Pentagon — and the results of Operations Epic Fury, Absolute Resolve and Midnight Hammer speak for themselves,” she said, referencing US military operations in Iran and Venezuela.

The episode over the Fort Hood shooter has resurfaced some of these frustrations over Hegseth’s movements. And, notably, it was Vance, whose own 2028 ambitions cast a shadow over all possible contenders, who was among the first to publicly express doubt about Hegseth’s plans to livestream an execution.

“I mean, look, if it’s all through live stream, I’m not going to be watching it,” Vance said.

Bruce Bisping/Star Tribune/Getty Images/File

A turn to politics would not be new for Hegseth. Before joining Fox News, he ran for Senate in Minnesota in 2012, when he was leading a conservative veterans’ advocacy group.

An adviser for Hegeth’s Senate campaign told CNN that while Hegseth was a young candidate at 32 years old, he had natural talent on the campaign trail.

“Pete was great on the stump,” said the adviser, who requested anonymity to candidly discuss Hegseth’s Senate campaign. “He’s one of those people that when he’s talking to you, he’s talking to you. He has an amazing ability to do that. His eyes are focused on you.”

But Hegseth ultimately dropped out of the race after the Minnesota GOP convention that year, when he lost the party’s nomination to Kurt Bills, as a candidate who eschewed 2012 GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul’s libertarian-leaning ideology.

Hegseth now owns a home in Tennessee, a state much more amenable to Trump’s brand of politics.

Trump held a rally last weekend in Clarksville, Tennessee, where questions about Hegseth’s political future have at times become fodder for speculation for his post-Pentagon career. That speculation has intensified at times, like when Hegseth’s nomination was jeopardized by revelations about a past accusation of sexual assault — which Hegseth has repeatedly denied — and during early scrutiny of his uneven start as defense secretary.

But GOP officials there say Hegseth hasn’t made any moves that would suggest he’s eyeing a run for office there.

“I, for one, would love him to run for office at some point in the future. But honestly, there’s not been a lot of talk,” said state Rep. Aron Maberry of Clarksville, Tennessee. “But we love him. And we are excited that he’s in DC in the Department of War and a Tennessean.”

A senior GOP official in the state said that other than some rumors and intrigue, there was never any serious discussion about Hegseth potentially running for governor or senator back when his confirmation vote in the Senate was in jeopardy .

The official never got the sense that Hegseth or anyone close to him was lining up support from county chairs or that there was pressure coming from Washington to help him find a safe landing spot.

He could have the same challenge turning to Tennessee politics now, should he leave the Pentagon.

“His biggest challenge is, he’s a Minnesota guy, he’s a DC guy, he doesn’t have real Tennessee ties,” said Steve Gill, a conservative political commentator and editor and publisher of TriStar Daily, a digital media publication in Tennessee. “He has work to do if he wants to create that base of connections and support. I’m not seeing any indications yet that he’s doing that.”

At Trump’s Tennessee rally, Hegseth received mostly rave reviews from the MAGA faithful. Many attendees CNN spoke with had close ties to nearby Fort Campbell and approved of Hegseth’s military overhaul.

Kris Grempler is the owner of a school that teaches members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment how to drive armored vehicles. Speaking to CNN at Trump’s rally, he said that morale among service members is noticeably improved since Hegseth took over the Pentagon.

“I love him to death. You know, getting to see him like do PT and stuff with these guys still, like he’s just — he’s a guy’s guy. And these troops love that,” Grempler said.

Emily Vierra, 47, a teacher at a Department of Defense school at Fort Campbell, said she thinks Hegseth could have a future in politics. “I can see it 100%. I can see him doing it in a heartbeat,” she said. “He’s a great communicator, able to deliver and relay the message in a way that resonates with people.”

“I don’t think he needs to change a thing,” Vierra said as she waited for Trump to arrive in Clarksville. “I think he needs to be authentic and true to who he is.”

But there was also some skepticism at Trump’s Tennessee rally. Hunter Meade, a 22-year-old server from Nashville, said that Hegseth struck him as overly performative, pointing to the defense secretary’s appearance in Memphis during a National Guard deployment earlier this year. He also found the animated comedy series South Park’s recent portrayal of Hegseth as a social-media obsessed brute amusingly accurate.

So while Meade said he’d keep an open mind if Hegseth ran for office, he has his doubts. “Do I care for Pete Hegseth as a person or as a leader? Not particularly,” Meade said. “I think he’s more like for show.”

Alex Wong/Getty Images

国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯很少回避争议，但他最近的举动——宣布将对被定罪的胡德堡大规模枪击案凶手执行死刑进行直播——即使对唐纳德·特朗普总统来说也太过分了。

尽管特朗普在周四叫停了这场直播，但这一事件凸显了赫格塞斯日益挑衅的公众形象背后的风险——他的一些最亲密的顾问认为，这种形象可能会让他一路走到白宫，但其他人则警告说，这可能会危及他可能的政治前途。

正如CNN此前报道，赫格塞斯力主直播尼达尔·哈桑被枪决的行动最初令特朗普感到意外。两位特朗普顾问称，此举是赫格塞斯试图迎合特朗普及其“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）支持者的情绪。但最终，在两党强烈反对下，特朗普决定放弃这一想法，这也被一些政府内部人士视为对赫格塞斯的打击，同时也警示他，不要再像在五角大楼那样，把自己塑造成一个好斗、爱出风头的形象。

据CNN报道，两位知情人士透露，赫格塞斯力推公开直播处决与他未来的政治野心不谋而合。其中一位消息人士称，这场直播“纯粹是出于本能”，并指出这与赫格塞斯作为前电视名人对戏剧化的敏锐眼光不谋而合，他自认为深谙美国公众的喜好。

与十几位现任和前任政府官员、特朗普盟友、共和党人士以及熟悉赫格塞斯政治圈子的人士的对话表明，这位国防部长虽然从未担任过任何民选职务，但他正在采取一些可能为其政治生涯铺路的措施。他精心塑造了一种强硬的公众形象，赋予了一小群精通媒体的顾问权力，并尝试用迎合“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）支持者的言论来吸引他们——尽管他在五角大楼的过往记录以及他对争议的嗜好可能会限制他的政治前途。

为了塑造自己的“战士”形象，赫格塞斯身边聚集了一批前福克斯新闻制片人和社交媒体名人——其中最主要的是他的妻子詹妮弗·赫格塞斯。消息人士称，在他仍然信任的顾问圈子日渐萎缩的情况下，这群人拥有着过大的影响力。

据消息人士透露，许多顾问都鼓励赫格塞斯考虑从政，包括可能参加2028年的总统竞选。他们的理由是：两位主要候选人——副总统约翰·万斯和国务卿马可·卢比奥——可能不会参选，而且获得提名的道路也充满不确定性。他们认为，赫格塞斯应该保持开放的心态，考虑各种可能性。

一位支持赫格塞斯政治抱负的政府官员表示：“他们中的很多人都全力支持他。”这位消息人士补充说，许多与赫格塞斯关系密切的人都关注他的政治前途，部分原因是他们认为，在离开五角大楼后，当选公职是他为数不多的可行选择之一。

他最亲密的顾问们也认为，赫格塞斯具备候选人的“外貌”，比其他一些可能接替特朗普的人选更具优势。然而，一些人也承认，他对五角大楼的改革引发了诸多批评，而且他一贯对质疑其观点或政策的人采取对抗态度，这无疑会阻碍他赢得选民的支持。

与过去一年担任共和党筹款主席的万斯以及2016年总统候选人卢比奥不同，赫格塞斯也缺乏竞选总统所需的深厚捐助者关系。与此同时，与德克萨斯州参议员特德·克鲁兹关系密切的一个超级政治行动委员会仍在活跃，而克鲁兹本人也公开表示有意再次竞选总统。

Win McNamee/Getty Images

一些特朗普的盟友告诉 CNN，他们认为只有在万斯决定不参选的情况下，赫格塞斯才会考虑参加 2028 年总统竞选。

消息人士补充说，万斯很有可能获得特朗普的支持——选择潜在的继任者是2024年选择这位俄亥俄州参议员作为竞选搭档的考量因素之一——而如果没有总统的支持，赫格塞斯将面临艰难的挑战。

NBC新闻最早于8月份报道了赫格塞斯私下讨论可能参加2028年总统竞选的消息。当时，赫格塞斯称该报道“百分之百是假的”。

针对 CNN 就本文提出的问题，五角大楼新闻秘书金斯利·威尔逊在一份声明中表示，“赫格塞斯部长没有竞选总统，他唯一的优先事项是领导战争部。”

五角大楼首席发言人肖恩·帕内尔在一份声明中表示，赫格塞斯“从未”讨论过CNN报道的任何内容。帕内尔说：“作为赫格塞斯部长的高级顾问之一，我可以作证，他每天都在努力保护国家安全，并为我们的军人提供一切所需，以确保他们取得成功。”

尽管赫格塞斯的形象和直率风格显然对那些在特朗普卸任后正在寻找未来归宿的“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）支持者具有吸引力，但他对伊朗战争的监督却面临着巨大的挑战。美国在中东的最新军事行动在选民中极不受欢迎，民调显示，这场战争正在拉低特朗普和共和党在中期选举中的支持率。

赫格塞斯的政治活动——包括今年早些时候前往爱荷华州为共和党众议院候选人助选——加剧了人们对他未来可能竞选公职的猜测。

他的政治动向在田纳西州越来越受关注，他的家人几年前搬到了那里。不过，当地共和党人士表示，他尚未在该州采取任何可能表明他怀有政治抱负的行动。

“我们非常自豪他能为我们服务，”田纳西州共和党主席斯科特·戈尔登说。“我只想说，我希望他能在某个时候，在任何级别，考虑竞选公职，无论他想在哪个级别。”

菲尔·斯图尔特/路透社

赫格塞斯在五角大楼投入了大量精力，致力于为自己打造一个特定的公众形象，其核心理念是他正在领导一场运动，以根除军队中所谓的“觉醒主义”。

赫格塞斯有时在五角大楼内部被称为“文化战争部长”，他的工作重点包括削减军队中的将军人数，将国防部改为“战争部”，甚至还制定了一项针对“睾酮缺乏症”的筛查计划。

“我们不再是觉醒部门，也不再是软弱部门。简单来说就是：不要胖子，不要变性人，不要留胡子的，不要怪人，不要懦夫，不要激进分子。只有战士，”赫格塞斯在九月份的“部队状况”演讲中说道。“意识形态小丑们都滚蛋了。爱国牛仔们才是主力——而且还要接受睾酮检测。”

为了塑造自己想要的特定公众形象，赫格塞斯基本上与媒体隔绝，并且经常拒绝回答有关其决策的问题。在伊朗战争初期举行的新闻发布会上，赫格塞斯多次以抨击媒体和记者对冲突的报道开场，他认为这些报道“极其不爱国”。

五角大楼的一些公开信息也带上了更浓厚的政治色彩，尤其是在 X 网站上，国防部的一个官方快速反应账号专门用来分享赫格塞斯的照片和他演讲的片段。

一些极右翼社交媒体人物和账号——其中包括至少两名现役陆军军官——经常在X平台上大力维护赫格塞斯的决定，并攻击批评者。（尽管军人在网上的行为受到严格规定。）这些人中有几位在五角大楼工作，大楼里的许多人将这个小团体视为一支网络军队，其任务是影响公众对赫格塞斯及其政策的看法。

赫格塞斯一再坚持，他的总体目标是通过取消旨在防止平民伤亡等情况发生的护栏，以及支持在法律上存在疑问的作战行动（包括一些引发战争罪指控的行动），使军队更具“杀伤力”。

这些举动招致了五角大楼内部以及特朗普政府其他官员的批评。但这些举动似乎也帮助赫格塞斯维持了对他而言至关重要的关系：与总统的关系，而这对于他能否在政坛有所作为至关重要。

乔纳森·恩斯特/路透社

据 CNN 报道，虽然特朗普一直是赫格塞斯的坚定支持者，但总统身边的其他人——包括白宫西翼的一些官员——对此却不太热情。

甚至在行刑直播之前，赫格塞斯就一直是争议的焦点，白宫对其中许多争议不予理会，但有些争议却让白宫官员甚至一些内阁成员感到不安。

其中一个例子就是Signal聊天丑闻。在美军对也门胡塞武装发动空袭前几个小时，赫格塞斯通过Signal即时通讯软件与高级政府官员分享了具体的行动细节。他的信息详细列出了2025年3月15日行动前的确切时间表和目标侦察情况。赫格塞斯和相关人员都不知道，《大西洋月刊》的总编辑也参与了这次聊天。

争议发生后，总统当时的国家安全顾问迈克·沃尔兹首当其冲地承受了特朗普的怒火，但当时许多顾问认为，赫格塞斯应该受到更严厉的惩罚。

一位特朗普顾问告诉CNN：“这些人记忆力很好。”

赫格塞斯急于与伊朗开战，并撤换了高级军官，这也使他与总统的一些高级顾问产生了分歧。

在伊朗遭受第一轮轰炸之前，赫格塞斯是军事干预最积极的支持者之一。

据 CNN 当时报道，在内部辩论进行期间，赫格塞斯不仅认可了特朗普继续推进的想法，还淡化了冲突升级的固有风险——而这一现实现在已经变成了现实。

白宫首席副新闻秘书安娜·凯利在一份声明中表示，白宫和五角大楼“在确保将杀害 13 名无辜者的邪恶叛徒尼达尔·马利克·哈桑绳之以法方面完全一致”。

“赫格塞斯部长在领导五角大楼方面做得非常出色——‘史诗狂怒行动’、‘绝对决心行动’和‘午夜铁锤行动’的成果就足以说明一切，”她说道，并提到了美国在伊朗和委内瑞拉的军事行动。

胡德堡枪击案再次引发了人们对赫格塞斯行动的一些不满。值得注意的是，正是范斯——他本人对2028年总统大选的野心令所有可能的候选人都黯然失色——是最早公开质疑赫格塞斯计划直播死刑的人之一。

“我的意思是，如果全程都是直播，那我是不会看的，”万斯说。

Bruce Bisping/Star Tribune/Getty Images/档案照片

对赫格塞斯来说，涉足政坛并非新鲜事。在加入福克斯新闻之前，他曾于2012年在明尼苏达州竞选参议员，当时他领导着一个保守派退伍军人权益倡导组织。

赫格斯参议员竞选团队的一位顾问告诉 CNN，虽然赫格斯当时只有 32 岁，算是一位年轻的候选人，但他在竞选活动中展现出了与生俱来的天赋。

“皮特在竞选演讲中表现出色，”这位要求匿名的顾问说道，他希望能够坦诚地谈论赫格塞斯的参议院竞选。“他就是那种跟你说话时，全神贯注于你的人。他在这方面有着惊人的能力。他的目光始终锁定在你身上。”

但赫格塞斯最终在当年的明尼苏达州共和党大会上退出了竞选，因为他输给了库尔特·比尔斯，未能获得党内提名。赫格塞斯拒绝了 2012 年共和党总统候选人罗恩·保罗的自由主义倾向意识形态。

赫格塞斯现在在田纳西州拥有一处房产，该州更适合特朗普的政治风格。

上周末，特朗普在田纳西州克拉克斯维尔举行了一场集会。在克拉克斯维尔，关于赫格塞斯政治前途的问题时有发生，这也引发了人们对他卸任国防部长后职业生涯的猜测。这种猜测有时会加剧，例如，当赫格塞斯的提名因过去性侵指控的曝光而岌岌可危时——赫格塞斯一再否认这些指控——以及在他担任国防部长初期表现不佳时。

但当地共和党官员表示，赫格塞斯尚未采取任何行动表明他有意竞选该州公职。

“我个人非常希望他将来能竞选公职。但说实话，这方面并没有太多讨论，”田纳西州克拉克斯维尔的州众议员阿伦·马伯里说道。“但我们都很喜欢他。我们很高兴他身在华盛顿特区的战争部任职，而且他还是田纳西州人。”

该州一位共和党高级官员表示，除了一些谣言和传闻之外，在赫格塞斯参议员的确认投票面临风险时，从未就他可能竞选州长或参议员进行过任何严肃的讨论。

这位官员始终没有感觉到赫格塞斯或他身边的任何人正在争取县主席的支持，也没有感觉到来自华盛顿的压力，要帮助他找到一个安全的落脚点。

如果他离开五角大楼，转战田纳西州政坛，可能会面临同样的挑战。

“他最大的挑战在于，他是个明尼苏达人，是个华盛顿特区人，他与田纳西州没有真正的联系，”保守派政治评论员、田纳西州数字媒体出版物《TriStar Daily》的编辑兼出版人史蒂夫·吉尔说道。“如果他想建立人脉和支持基础，他还有很多工作要做。但我目前还没有看到任何迹象表明他正在这样做。”

在特朗普于田纳西州举行的竞选集会上，赫格塞斯受到了“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）支持者的一致好评。CNN采访的许多与会者都与附近的坎贝尔堡有着密切联系，并对赫格塞斯的军事改革表示赞同。

克里斯·格雷普勒拥有一所培训学校，专门教授第160特种作战航空团成员如何驾驶装甲车。在特朗普的竞选集会上，他接受CNN采访时表示，自从赫格塞斯接管五角大楼以来，军人的士气明显提升。

“我非常爱他。你知道，看到他仍然和这些弟兄们一起做体能训练什么的，他真是——他是个很接地气的人。这些士兵都喜欢他这一点，”格雷普勒说道。

47岁的艾米丽·维埃拉是坎贝尔堡国防部学校的一名教师，她说她认为赫格塞斯在政界很有前途。“我百分之百相信他能做到。我觉得他肯定能胜任，”她说。“他很会沟通，能够以一种能引起人们共鸣的方式传递信息。”

“我觉得他不需要改变什么，”维埃拉在克拉克斯维尔等待特朗普抵达时说道，“我认为他需要做的就是保持真诚，忠于自我。”

但特朗普在田纳西州的集会上也出现了一些质疑的声音。来自纳什维尔的22岁服务员亨特·米德表示，他觉得国防部长赫格塞斯过于作秀，并指出这位部长今年早些时候在国民警卫队部署期间出现在孟菲斯。他还觉得动画喜剧《南方公园》最近对赫格塞斯的刻画——一个沉迷社交媒体的粗鲁之人——既滑稽又贴切。

所以，尽管米德表示如果赫格塞斯竞选公职他会持开放态度，但他仍然心存疑虑。“我是否喜欢皮特·赫格塞斯这个人，或者他作为领导者的能力？说实话，我并不特别在意，”米德说道。“我觉得他更像是个作秀的人。”