Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) joked on Wednesday that he’d consider confirming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) as a Defense secretary if he admits to the use of lifts in his shoes.
“I’ll consider a YES on him if he finally admits to his boots with 4” lifts,” Fetterman said in a post on the social platform X.
Fetterman’s post also featured a screenshot of an article from The Hill about reporting from the Wall Street Journal that President-elect Trump is rumored to be thinking about switching out his choice for Defense secretary, former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, for DeSantis.
DeSantis was dogged with rumors that he wore lifts in his boots so he could look taller during his recent failed bid for the presidency.
Hegseth has been facing headwinds in his path to become head of the Pentagon, as scrutiny among Republican senators toward him has grown following recent revelations of alleged alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct in his past.
On Wednesday, Hegseth said he won’t back down as the scrutiny surrounding his nomination has increased. In a post on X, he suggested that he is the target of a smear campaign by Democrats.
“I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers. The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump—and me,” he wrote.
“So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth,” Hegseth continued. “Our warriors never back down, & neither will I.”
Last month, Trump announced that he had tapped Hegseth for the role of Defense secretary, saying that he “is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”
The Hill has reached out to DeSantis’s communications office for further comment.
