When Donald Trump began announcing his Cabinet nominees last year, several of whom had a TV background, a common theme was that they were all perceived as effective communicators.
His emphasis on communication has paid back early dividends, in particular in a time of crisis, with two former Fox News personalities being thrust into the spotlight earlier than they may have anticipated.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, both of whom regularly appeared on the channel and its sister business network, have, along with the president himself, routinely been on TV screens since the tragic events Wednesday night over the Potomac River.
In the case of Hegseth, his appearances have been all the more noticeable because his predecessor, Lloyd Austin, rarely spoke in front of cameras. In the 48 hours since the tragic accident, Hegseth appeared alongside President Donald Trump in the White House briefing room, appeared on Fox News twice, and released a video on X from his office.
“Secretary Hegseth, in his first days on the job, is playing to what he believes are his strengths,” Bradley Bowman, a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Examiner. “He spent a lot of time as a TV personality on Fox News, and he’s viewed by many as an effective communicator, and so it’s hardly surprising that he would be wanting to get on TV more. So I think he’s doing what you’d expect from here, and he’s playing to the strengths he believes he has.”
TRUMP’S CABINET OF COMMUNICATORS
Despite not taking questions from reporters who cover the Defense Department since the crash, his public appearances stand in stark contrast to Austin, who notoriously did not do media appearances.
“Secretary Austin was clearly uncomfortable with public speaking and it showed in his interviews,” Leslie Shedd, a former House Foreign Affairs Committee communications director, told the Washington Examiner. “In contrast, Secretary Hegseth is fantastic in interviews, looks great on TV, and thrives in the public eye.
“As we have already seen this week, I anticipate we will continue to see a lot more of Secretary Hegseth than we ever did of Austin, and if he ever went missing for a few days, it would actually be noticed,” she added, referencing Austin’s secret hospitalization in January 2024 that was hidden from the public for several days.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, highlighted the possible benefit of having a secretary who is comfortable in front of the camera during Hegseth’s confirmation hearing.
“We must not underestimate the importance of having a top-shelf communicator as secretary of defense,” Wicker said at the time. “Other than the president, no official plays a larger role in telling the men and women in uniform, the Congress, and the public about the threats we face and the need for a peace-through-strength defense policy.”
Beverly Hallberg, president and founder of District Media Group, added, “Americans likely view this as a breath of fresh air after the Biden administration mostly avoided the press. Pete Hegseth speaking to the public signals that this is America’s Department of Defense. Pete Hegseth can shed the TV host brand liberals want to paint by balancing accessibility with necessary military confidentiality and rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.”
Trump picked several Fox News commentators to fill out his Cabinet and staff.
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Kimberley Guilfoyle, Monica Crowley, Mike Huckabee, Tulsi Gabbard, Tom Homan, Sebastian Gorka, Keith Kellogg, and Janette Nesheiwat are among the former Fox News contributors and personalities nominated for positions in the Trump administration.
Duffy, who was sworn in as transportation secretary earlier this week, was thrust into the spotlight with the airplane crash in Washington as well. Just hours after he was sworn in, he was at the podium to address the disaster. Wrapping up at 1:20 a.m., he was back at it at 7 a.m.
