O'reilly: Hegseth Pick A Message To Maga That Trump Wants To 'blow Up' Swamp

Veteran news anchor Bill O'Reilly believes President-elect Trump is aware that certain Cabinet picks — including Pete Hegseth, his choice to lead Defense — are unlikely to succeed.

Still, O'Reilly said, Trump wants to "send a message to MAGA supporters" about his intent to "blow the swamp up."

"Hegseth will not be the next secretary of defense," he told NewsNation's "CUOMO" on Wednesday. "Trump knows that."

O'Reilly argued that the president-elect intentionally nominates figures who are unlikely to be confirmed, calling it part of the former president’s strategic messaging.

The former Fox News host compared Hegseth's nomination to picks like former Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary. Though, Gaetz has since withdrawn his name from consideration and Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi instead.

“Trump is a genius at messaging, and that’s why he won the election,” O'Reilly said.

The president-elect is reportedly considering replacing Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) or Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), according to sources familiar with the transition.

Republican senators also seemingly have concerns about sexual assault allegations against Hegseth, a former Fox News personality. A source told NewsNation that discussions with DeSantis have been ongoing since last week and that the governor is interested.

A separate source added that Hegseth has been on “shaky ground” for a few days, and this is a critical period in his confirmation process, if it is going to succeed.

Hegseth posted on social platform X Wednesday morning, vowing that he will not withdraw his candidacy despite the growing scrutiny.

“I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers,” he wrote. “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," Hegseth added. "Our warriors never back down, & neither will I."

NewsNation's "The Hill" contributed to this report.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.