President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has chosen Fox News host Pete Hegseth, a close ally of him, to be his secretary of defense, along with several Republican senators.

Trump took to social media Tuesday night to announce his selection, saying in part: “Pete has spent his entire life fighting for the troops and the country. Pete is strong, smart and a true believer in America First.”

Hegseth is an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and is also a Fox News host. He left the military in 2021, according to Reuters , after he was labeled an “extremist” and that the military didn’t want him. In his book, “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” Hegseth wrote that the feeling was mutual: “I didn’t want this military anymore, either.”

It is noteworthy that Hegseth is considered one of the most ardent supporters of the settlement movement and the annexation of the occupied West Bank. He said in 2018 during a visit to occupied Jerusalem: “There is no reason why a miracle cannot happen; the re-establishment of the Temple on the Temple Mount.”

Andrew Desiderio, chief congressional correspondent for Punchbowl News, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, with multiple senators reacting after the Hegseth news broke. Trump’s nomination of the Fox News host must be confirmed by the Republican-majority Senate, with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska quoted as saying in a surprised, disbelieving tone, “Wow.” The senator added that she was surprised by the choice, as Hegseth had not been on the list of contenders for the position.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy responded to the news by asking "Who?!" according to a post by Frank Thorpe on MNBC on X. Thorpe also noted that Republican Senator Ted Budd called Hegseth "an impressive person."

Republican Sen. Todd Young said he had “no sense” of Hegseth’s background or his vision for the department, according to a post by Chad Pergram, Fox News’ chief congressional correspondent, on X.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis responded to the news by saying, "Interesting," according to Desiderio.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts denounced Hegseth’s selection to the X program, saying: “I lead the Senate Military Affairs Committee. My three brothers served in the military. I respect every member of our service. Donald Trump’s selection will make us less safe and must be rejected.”

“Pete Hegseth has been an exceptional host on FOX & Friends and FOX Nation and a best-selling author at FOX News Books for nearly a decade,” Fox News said in an emailed statement to Newsweek. “His insights and analysis, especially on the military, have resonated deeply with our viewers and have made the show the huge success it is today. We are incredibly proud of his work at FOX News Media and wish him well in Washington.”

Hegseth is known to be a right-wing extremist, with particular hostility to the Palestinians.

Trump has announced a slew of additional choices for his second administration since his landslide election victory last week. On Tuesday, the president-elect picked Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as secretary of homeland security and John Ratcliffe — a former Texas congressman and director of national intelligence during Trump’s first administration — as director of the CIA, among others.

Trump also appointed Steve Witkoff, a New York-born American real estate investor and founder of the Witkoff Group, which oversees the development and repositioning of more than 70 properties in major American cities, as his special envoy to the Middle East, replacing Brett McGurk.