Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forcefully denied a report that he is considering a run for president in 2028, rejecting claims that he has privately discussed a possible White House campaign with friends and associates.
Hegseth, who worked at Fox News before joining the Trump administration, responded to the report on X, calling it “100% false” and saying he had directly informed NBC News that he had no plans to run.
He accused the outlet of disregarding his denial, writing that he told NBC he wasn’t running, “but they just lie w/ anonymous ‘sources.’”
The NBC News report, published Friday, said Hegseth had spoken with people close to him about the possibility of seeking the presidency in 2028. The report also pointed to his recent appearance at the Iowa State Fair as one indication that he could be positioning himself for a national campaign.
Hegseth’s trip to the politically significant early-voting state, however, was officially made on behalf of Rep. Zach Nunn, an Iowa Republican for whom the defense secretary was campaigning.
No major contender has formally entered the race for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, leaving the prospective field largely a matter of speculation.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has publicly acknowledged that he is interested in another presidential run. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have also frequently been mentioned among potential Republican contenders.
Hegseth has previously sought elected office, although his only campaign ended before reaching the primary ballot.
In 2012, he launched a bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Minnesota. Hegseth ultimately withdrew from the contest following the state Republican Party convention.
Two years later, Hegseth joined Fox News as a contributor and went on to become a prominent conservative media personality.
President Trump nominated Hegseth in 2024 to lead the Department of Defense, and he has served as defense secretary since early 2025.
Speculation over the Republican Party’s post-Trump presidential field has intensified ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, although several of the figures most frequently discussed have stopped short of announcing campaigns.
Prediction markets currently show Vance receiving the most attention among possible GOP nominees. Kalshi gives the vice president a 44% probability of winning the Republican nomination, followed by Rubio at 19%, while no other prospective candidate is above 5%.
Vance has said he intends to make a decision about his political future after the midterm elections.
Rubio, meanwhile, has said he would support Vance for the Republican nomination if the vice president decides to seek the presidency.
The two men have nevertheless been associated with different currents within the Republican Party. Vance has generally been identified with the populist wing of the GOP and its skepticism toward some forms of American intervention overseas, while Rubio has historically been associated with the more traditional interventionist foreign-policy approach that held greater influence within the party before Trump’s rise.
{Matzav.com}