Did Florida’s Governor fumble his shot to run the Pentagon?
That’s what investors in a prominent prediction market seem to believe Saturday morning.
Per Polymarket, Ron DeSantis has fallen back behind Pete Hegseth, who is the current Donald Trump nominee to be Defense Secretary.
A DeSantis ‘Yes’ share is priced at 23 cents, with a Hegseth Yes at 43 cents.
DeSantis led in the betting market until Friday evening, with speculation swirling that he might replace the embattled former Fox News host as Trump’s pick for the job.
But Trump and others close to the President-elect have worked to make it clear that Hegseth is being given the ball to run with.
“It looks like Pete is doing well now,” Trump said during an interview with “Meet the Press.”
“We’ll be working on his nomination along with all the others,” Trump added.
Trump comms director Steven Cheung, who once called DeSantis a “desperate eunuch,” called Hegseth “the ONLY option” for the job.
Trump senior advisor Brian Hughes, who has a long history with DeSantis in his own right, volunteered that Hegseth is a “winner.”
Meanwhile, there are those close to the administration who have speculated to Florida Politics that DeSantis was being trolled with the speculation, similarly to how Utah’s Mitt Romney endured a quasi-audition for Secretary of State in Trump’s first term.
Whatever the case, DeSantis and Trump will be together next Saturday at the Army-Navy Football Game, as leaked Friday morning by someone close to the Governor.
It’s unusual for DeSantis to announce appearances more than a week ahead of when they happen.
The nomination process for the incoming administration has been fluid, as exemplified by the here-today-gone-tomorrow experiences of Matt Gaetz and Chad Chronister in brief auditions for Attorney General and Drug Enforcement Administration chiefs.
But while DeSantis may be the back up plan, what’s clear is that after days of narrative turbulence, Hegseth is still the starter.
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