WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that he is considering a 2028 presidential run, calling an NBC News report about private discussions of a campaign “100% false.”
Hegseth posted the denial on X on August 28. He said his office had already told NBC he was not running and criticised the report’s reliance on anonymous sources.
NBC News had reported that Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, discussed a possible White House bid with close friends and associates.
The Pentagon separately said Hegseth was not running for president and described further speculation as unfounded.
The speculation intensified after Hegseth travelled to Iowa earlier in August. However, Iowa Public Radio reported that his August 17 appearance.
At the Iowa State Fair was a campaign event supporting Republican Representative Zach Nunn’s reelection bid. The Pentagon said Hegseth made the trip to Iowa in his personal capacity.
Read: Hegseth Pentagon Distrust Drives Firings, CNN Says
The Washington Post separately reported that unnamed officials believed he had considered seeking political office after leaving the Trump administration, but Hegseth has now publicly rejected the claim that he had considered a presidential run.
Hegseth has served as the 29th US Secretary of Defence since January 25, 2025. Before joining the Trump administration, he worked at Fox News and previously sought the Republican nomination for a US Senate seat in Minnesota in 2012.
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No major Republican candidate has formally entered the 2028 presidential race. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio remain among the most frequently discussed potential contenders.
