Matt Gertz on right-wing media support for Pete Hegseth: “They're trying to move someone from Fox & Friends' weekend show to sixth in line for the presidency”
Gertz: “Donald Trump has repeatedly sought out people that he likes from his television, likes from Fox News, for big roles in his administration”
Published
Matt Gertz on The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent
Citation
From the December 5, 2024, edition of DSR Network's The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent
GREG SARGENT (HOST): So Pete Hegseth has been rocked by all kinds of revelations — public drunkenness. He allegedly had numerous affairs during his first marriage. Even his colleagues at Fox News, where he was an on-air personality, worried about his drinking. And now according to Politico, Republican senators are actually saying he should commit to quitting drinking if he wants to get confirmed. One said he's in a lot of trouble. Matt, is there any way Hegseth survives this?
MATT GERTZ (SENIOR FELLOW, MEDIA MATTERS): I think there is. I think what we're seeing right now is a test of the power that the right-wing media has within the MAGA movement. Some sort of flare clearly went up over the last 24 hours because after largely remaining passive and backing off from the nomination as all of these damning reports came out, people at Fox and throughout the right-wing media have started rallying to Hegseth's defense. They're being very vocal about it and they're trying to push Republican senators to back their guy. There's still quite a bit of time left on the clock on this nomination. Hegseth has suggested that he does not plan to pull out as (former Florida Rep.) Matt Gaetz did last month, and so I think it's too soon to tell whether or not this nomination is dead in the water.
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GERTZ: They're trying to move someone from Fox & Friends' weekend show to sixth in line for the presidency. And, you know, this is not a total aberration. Donald Trump has repeatedly sought out people that he likes from his television, likes from Fox News, for big roles in his administration. Hegseth is the one who's looking at the most prominent role but there are 11 other former Foxers as of the current count, as of Wednesday evening when we're taping this, there could be more tomorrow. 12 total former Foxers who have roles, planned roles, in the future Donald Trump administration. That's cabinet secretaries, his director of national intelligence, top White House positions, U.S. ambassadors, top figures in the medical bureaucracy, all because Donald Trump saw them on television and thought they did a good job.