Could Governor Ron DeSantis be joining the incoming Trump administration after all?

That is the report coming out of the Wall Street Journal today.

DeSantis, who served as a Navy lawyer in Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, was on an earlier list of potential defense secretary candidates that transition officials presented to the president. Trump ultimately went with Hegseth. But as Hegseth’s nomination has faltered, that list has been revived and DeSantis is again among the choices Trump is considering, the people said.

The discussions are in their early stages, one of the people said, adding that Trump has floated DeSantis’s name in casual conversations with guests at Mar-a-Lago, his private Florida club.

Trump could decide not to choose DeSantis and select another replacement, if Hegseth’s nomination falls apart, the people said. Another potential defense secretary candidate who has been discussed by Trump allies, according to people familiar with the matter, is Elbridge Colby, a former Pentagon official and ally of Vice President-elect JD Vance. Trump is also considering Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) for the job, some of the people said.

Now, Ron DeSantis is definitely qualified for Secretary for Defense. That’s not in question. The question is whether Pete Hegseth can get Senate confirmation.

Hegseth, for his part, is saying that he will not drop out.

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. So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth.

Our warriors never back down, & neither will I. pic.twitter.com/nDQ5aUlv7i

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 4, 2024

Hegseth returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday for more meetings with senators and told CBS News that he spoke earlier that morning with Trump, who told him to keep fighting for confirmation.

“I spoke to the president-elect this morning. He said, ‘Keep going, keep fighting. I’m behind you all the way,’” Hegseth told CBS. “Why would I back down? I’ve always been a fighter. I’m here for the fighters. This is personal and passionate for me.”

Republican senators Tuesday, during Hegseth’s third round of meetings since last month, questioned a new set of revelations involving allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct in Hegseth’s past.

NBC News reported Tuesday that at least six senators are “not comfortable” supporting Hegseth, but several senators on Capitol Hill also have defended him, including Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).

Hegseth also planned to meet with the House Republican Study Committee on Wednesday, a source familiar with the meeting told The Hill. House lawmakers have no votes on the Hegseth nomination, but the meeting could be used to raise pressure on GOP senators to support him.

Hegseth also just gave an interview to Megyn Kelly, and affirmed that he still has Donald Trump’s support.

So, if Hegseth doesn’t drop out, and Trump is standing by him, the only way he doesn’t get in is because of the smear campaign that has been percolating in the media freaks out too many cowardly Republican senators.

It seems like the DeSantis story has grown some traction for a couple of reasons. First, someone knew his name was on the list. Second, it does prove that Trump has a secondary, highly qualified pick in the wings. However, would DeSantis actually accept the position? The Florida “bench” is deep enough to absorb the hit of losing DeSantis, but is Secretary of Defense actually the job that DeSantis wants? He still has two more years before he is term-limited out as governor. I think it would be wiser to wait, and not leave the governor’s mansion early – but if Hegseth gets shorted in the Senate, somebody will need to be Defense Secretary. If DeSantis is any one thing, it is competent. He has handled Florida after every natural disaster by getting roads and bridges get rebuilt immediately, he has acted decisively to extract Americans from hostile situations, and he was re-elected in Florida by a 19 point margin in 2022.

I don’t have any doubt that Pete Hegseth can do the job of Secretary of Defense. And if Ron DeSantis ended up in the job instead, I wouldn’t have any doubts about his ability or efficiency, either.

I’ll be irritated if Hegseth doesn’t make it, because I think he did an excellent job at CVA, but they deserve DeSantis. They deserve what he’ll bring. I’ll enjoy watching it.

— Payton Alexander (@AlexanderPayton) December 4, 2024

Hegseth deserves to have the smears against him countered during confirmation hearings, and get the confirmation vote from the Senate. If the Senate chickens out, though, the DeSantis retribution would indeed be worth watching, with popcorn.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click